Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

How do you keep 64 people occupied in the evening? Cast them in a musical, that’s how, and then bring along 30 plus others to put it all together and put it on stage. Why? To entertain family, friends, and theatre lovers, what do you give them? Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, all lovers of Willy Wonka and Chocolate come hither.

There was an amazingly full stage for the Prologue, the youngsters never seemed to stop coming for this scene of Wonka and the school children, the choreography in this sequence was very good and set the standard for the large ensemble numbers throughout the show. (I believe that this sequence was created by the director as it’s in no script I could find). We really meet Willy Wonka with the opening number ‘Candy Man’, we had a really good performance here and throughout the show by Andrew Cleaver, whose singing and acting was good, just don’t mention Bavaria, well it gave us a laugh. Charlie Bucket, portrayed in this performance by Otto Firkin gave an excellent response. These two carry the show and worked very well together, despite not having many numbers together. There was a good on-stage rapport, good timing, they made a nice principal double act. Undoubtably Otto was the star of the show exuding confidence and had developed the kindly character that Charlie was.

Otto gave a good performances throughout, whether with a nicely portrayed Grandpa Joe courtesy of Martin Race or with poor, single mother Mrs Bucket sweetly performed by Hatty Wright, these three also had a great onstage rapport and gave us a realistic family grouping. They gave us some good songs alongside the humour developed and played with comic style and timing by the three Grandma’s, Becky Joyce, Rachel Persani and Natalie Forkin. Thanks to all the ‘Bucket Family’ for songs such as ‘Charlie, you and I’, ‘If your Father were Here’ and ‘I’ve got a Golden Ticket’.

Of course, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shows the audience the different unlikeable characteristics of mankind and subsequently the result of this obnoxiousness. These were displayed very well in the characters of Augusta Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beaureguarde and Mike Teavee in the good performances of respectively Imogen Neal, Millie Jackson, Carmen Stones, Ryan Swanborough.These four were supported by their equally unlikeable parent Charlotte McAllister, Jonathan Ireland, Poppy Brewster and Carrie Freeman, again respectively Mrs Gloop, Mr Salt, Mrs Beaureguarde and Mrs Teevee. These pairings gave us good ‘duet roles’ and were essential to the success of the subsequent consequences.

The company singing was not only enthusiastic, but well harmonised, not always easy with a lot of children who were mainly well ordered and disciplined, you always get one or two who are more interested in members of the audience. The adult members of the ensemble were in fine voice and particularly good in their choreographed routines as Oompa- Loompas, I loved the make-up and the costumes, someone had been busy, also all the children as squirrels with those costumes, even a dancing cow.

There are two cast members still to mention and that is our globe travelling television reporters Cherry and Jerry, Chloe Gleadhill and Barney Cooper, despite these being cameo roles they were both entertainingly performed and brought the reporting to life especially bringing character to the role, thank you Barney for the biggest smile on the stage.

I need to say here that I saw Team Otto, there was also Team Isla, giving each team three performances. I am sure that what I said above was equally relevant to Isla Joyce as Charlie Bucket and Mia Silva Medd, Orla Sharp, Harmony Chapman and Thomas Colegate.

And this was a stage to see, the digital backdrops make scene setting so easy but you do need the props etc. and there some cleverly designed and well built pieces, the sweet shop which revolved to reveal the Bucket home complete with Grandpas and Grandmas, moved very efficiently by the cast, to the mixing Vat, the necessary props exploding, drowning, expanding and shrinking children and all the necessary props, the Miniature Mike Teavee on the television set.

A lot of time, thought and effort went into a colourful and entertaining production, well done to all.

Leslie Judd

 

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