A fun and entertaining magical story that somehow lacks magic and imagination.
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory premiered on the West End stage in 2013 and ran for nearly four years. It held the highest weekly gross on the West End for some time (it may still, I can’t get accurate stats). A reworked show opened on Broadway in April 2017 and closed nine month’s later under tough reviews. This week the Broadway version opened in Sydney. The story is a dark one as is all Roald Dahl stories, with hilarious moments, human insights and all sorts of lessons. It is beloved the world over so how does this production rate?
The production opens well. The story is set up by a charming and yet slightly elusive Willie Wonka, we meet Charlie (Ryan Yeates on opening night) and his family and it all gets a little exciting. Charlie is effervescent and his house, wheeled out on a little island of set, is wonderfull and quirky. Grandpa Joe (Tony Sheldon) is exceptionally entertaining. The opening section is topped off by a little piece of magic in the form of a paper plane shaped note to the reclusive Willie Wonker. It is around here the magic dissapears.
Ryan Yeates is adorable as Charlie and his voice is delightful. Paul Slade-Smith has the right balance of charm and oddness. He owns the stage and leads the production with clarity and purpose and the right amount of potential darkness, although I am not sure that there was no one in Australia that could have achieved this. Tony Sheldon, as expected soaks up every bit of the limelight. From his reveal to the close of the show, eyes are glued on him as he dances, sings and charms his way into the hearts of the audience. Lucy Maunder is an exhausted yet loving Mrs Bucket (Charlie’s mum) with excellent performances from the parents and children (standouts to me where Octavia Barron Martin (Mrs Gloop), Jake Fehily (Augustus Gloop) and Jayde Westaby (Mrs Teavee).
With the exception of “The Candyman”, the songs were good but not that memorable. “Charlie, You & I” was delightful but that was as much about the performances as it was about the song itself. “If Your Father Were Here” is a little heavy handed but did evoke emotional responses while “The View From Here” was a little ‘Disneyesque” and did not have the impact of a closing number.
The Oompa-Loompas were a hit. The choice made on how to represent these tricky characters was a little inspired and showed a glimpse of the magic that the show needed. They brought the show to life. Basil Twist’s was entertaining and fun.
Where the show fell over was in the creative department, which seems odd for a show that is all about creative imagination. Apart form the paper-plane note to Willie Wonka there was no magic. The set appears to have been designed to tour as each scene piece was on a tiny island that was wheeled on for its moment and then wheeled off. The rest of the stage was filled with the latest craze for musical theatre – video and projection. Jeff Sugg‘s design was brilliant and at times dazzling. But it can’t ever replace an actual set and a huge stage like the Capitol always feels empty when a little island of a set is popped onto it. It works for short scenes and for quirky moments like the chocolate shop and even Charlie’s house but when the doors are opened and the inner workings of the magical and mysterious chocolate factory are revealed with fanfare…it’s just falls flat. The most disappointing was the The Chocolate Room. It is a room where everything is edible and the children start to explore this candy-coated utopia to the song ‘Pure Imagination’. But it’s all a little underwhelming. A few sparkling purple lollipops and a bush of huge marshmallows with some greenery that looks like it is plastic fill this little island of delights. Backing it is a green leaf patterned wall and flowing through it, the waterfall of chocolate of which no one is allowed to drink and we all know Augustus will be sucked into. Sadly it is a brown curtain with a projected pattern on it to indicate its flowing. Augustus’s untimely death is enacted by lifting the material and crawling under it. Disappointing. As for the rest of the grisly deaths, Veruca’s death was inspired and a startling surprise if a little clunky in execution. Violet’s was a little more creative but only through the convention of running off stage for a new costume fit and Mike’s involved technology and worked well.
Which brings us to the children. A decision to cast all the children’s roles with adults (except Charlie) was made when the show transferred to Broadway and I feel this was a significant contribution to its downfall. I understand it, the actors can give a stronger vocal quality to the songs and maybe a stronger physicality to the action but there is a lot of darkness and ‘Dahlness’ lost when the bratty, rude and obnoxious child dies (or is murdered) when it is clearly an adult playing the role. In this production the actors gave their all and were wonderful to watch but deep down, I wanted to see children playing the roles.
So the answer to the question of success is yes and no. Yes it was fun and we enjoyed the night, yes the talent on stage was quality and the performances superb. No it did not have any magic or imagination. I found it interesting that there was no directorial note in the program. Nothing about what inspired the creatives to put on the show, how they approached it or what they wanted to achieve from putting it on. It’s as if they thought… ‘It will be a bit of fun. Let’s just throw it together, don’t take any risks, cast well and put it on’. And that’s how it feels. I was left wishing I had seen the West End production and hoping they don’t cast adults as children in Billie Eliot or School of Rock later this year 🙂
The final say goes to a young audience member in the foyer after the show. Did you enjoy it? “Yes”. Had you seen the movie? “Yes”. Was it as good as the movie? “No”.
Lynden Jones, Theatre Now
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Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Written by Roald Dahl
Book by David Greig
Music and Lyrics Marc Shaiman
Lyrics Scott Whittman
5 Jan – 28 April 2019
Wed – Sat 7:30pm
Sun & Wd 1pm
Sat Matinee 2pm
Other various times (refer calendar below)
Venue: OCapitol
Theatre Company: John Frost, Craig Donnell, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Langley Park Productions and Neal Street Productions
Duration: N/A
Experience the wonders of Willy Wonka when Roald Dahl’s delicious tale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, opens its factory doors in Sydney from January 2019. It’s a delectable treat featuring songs from the original film, including Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket, alongside a brand new, toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score.
Ticket Prices
Standard $59 – $179
VIP $172.90 – $214.90
Calendar
