Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Drury Lane Theatre Royal

Review Summary

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 25 review(s)



Latest Review: "Saw show 17th June for my 50th birthday. AMAZING SHOW Douglas Hodge is a legend as Willy Wonka! T..."

Read All Reviews

Everyone is familiar with the story of “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory”. After all, it is a tale that has been told on many occasions, beginning with the novel by Roald Dahl and continuing with two movie adaptation starring Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp on respective occasions. Now a new versions of this classic tale will arrive on the stage of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Douglas Hodge following the footsteps of the names listed above as he takes on the role of the eccentric Willy Wonka.

In addition to Hodge, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” also boasts a high calibre director in Sam Mendes, responsible for many hits in the capital like “The Bridge Project” at the Old Vic and “Assassins” at the Donmar Warehouse and also behind some high profile Hollywood movies. So not only will audiences have seen his work when picking up theatre tickets, they might also be familiar with classic films like “American Beauty”, “Jarhead”, “Road to Perdition” and, of course, the 23rd James Bond movie “Skyfall”. With a high profile director like this, the show is bound to attract a lot of attention.

But when it comes to a staging of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” audiences only care about the story at hand and in this respect it has a lot to offer. Charlie is the young boy who visits Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory when the latter hands out limited golden tickets in his chocolate bars. Charlie has wanted nothing more than to witness the goings-on behind those factory doors and when inside he is faced with magical contraptions, Oompa Loompas and, of course, a lot of sweets!

The show’s Willy Wonka, Douglas Hodge, is a veteran of the stage and he will bring a lot to the role thanks to his experience in the likes of “La Cage Aux Folles” and numerous hit shows with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre.

So when “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” replaces “Shrek The Musical”, audiences will be in for a treat. It begins its run proper at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Tuesday 25th June 2013 (with previews from Saturday 18th May 2013).