As I have mentioned before, whilst we were in London a couple of weeks ago we went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The show was spectacular! I’ve got to say that it is the best live theatre show I have ever seen. I’ve seen quite a few growing up but none of them beat this production. From the set design to the acting everything was just suberb! The Director Same Mendes has put together a truly fantastic production and I really do think it will be a huge loss to the West End when it ends in January 2017!
Everyone knows the chocolate and sweet filled story, who hasn’t heard of the well known Roald Dahl book?! Willy Wonka who owns the biggest, most spectacular chocolate factory has hidden 5 golden tickets in his famous Wonka Bars around the world. The five lucky winners get the chance to visit his factory which has been closed to the public for many years. Verruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee and of course Charlie Bucket are the five golden ticket winners who set off on a tour around the remarkable factory. Each character becomes a victim to the factory one by one, leaving Charlie Bucket as the only remaining child at the end. Willy Wonka gives the factory to Charlie which he had intended on doing from the very beginning. It really is a lovely, heart-felt story about a very poor little boy being given the world!
The acting was truely outstanding from all characters. Each actor suited their roles perfectly and played the much loved characters brilliantly. Young Noah Crump who played Charlie Bucket was superb! A great little actor and singer who really through his all into the performance. He even looked very much like the original Charlie from the film too! Jonathan Slinger who played Willy Wonka was the one who stood out to me: he was absolutely fantastic. The way he portrayed the character and carried himself on the stage was mesmerising. His ability to light up the stage every time he appeared was phenomenal: he played a truly great Willy Wonka, with a excellent singing voice, presence and persona. He was 100% my favourite. The old grandpa Joe played by Barry James was another favourite of mine, his wittyness, contagious laughter and hilarious lines were just brilliant!
The stage design including the numerous different sets, lights, sound and props were out of this world. I couldn’t believe how many different sets were used and also how smoothly they appeared and changed on stage. They were done so professionally you didn’t really notice it happening most of the time. Although every piece of set was great, the best one had to be the floating elevator at the end. The scene itself was just so beautiful but the set design, which cleverly showed the elevator flying on stage, was just stunning. All the sets made it feel so real and as if you were actually in chocolate factory yourself! The extremely clever graphics which were used to portray the halls of the factory were also very effective and helped massively to enhance the story. A big thumbs up to the set design crew, definitely one of the most beautifully designed stages I have ever seen!
Another big aspect of the show that stood out to me were the little Oompa-Loompas who were played by numerous people. It must be incredibly had to act, portray a character and even just move about on your knees, let alone dance aswell! All the scenes which included the oompa-loompas were absolutely hilarious and really got the audience moving and jigging along in their seats. The up beat songs and dances from the Oompa-loompas, when each of the five characters came across some trouble in the chocolate factory, were definitely key scenes that stood out to me. I just could not stop laughing, they really were feel-good scenes!
I certainly enjoyed the show and I would say that everyone around me did too. The audience even gave a standing ovation at the end too, so it was a real hit with all members of the audience. I think I experienced nearly every emotion during the performance and I believe that is what makes a great show. It was a wonderful night for me and my family and it is definitely a performance I will not forget in a very long time! The actors were phenomenal, the set was extremely impressive and the overall direction and show was absolutely spectacular! I 100% recommend going to see the show before it ends in January, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed, it is worth every penny!
Have you been to any theatre shows lately? I love the theatre and would love to hear about any recommendations?
Bye for now,
Emily Jane xo
A Little Bit Of Everything 