BWW Review: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at the Paramount Brims with Pure Imagination
If you're like me, Dear Readers, you grew up with that indelible classic film, a?oeWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factorya?? starring the amazing Gene Wilder (and hopefully not that abomination with Johnny Depp). Or maybe you found yourself getting lost in the pages of the Roald Dahl novel, a?oeCharlie and the Chocolate Factorya??. Whichever it is you probably found yourself longing for an Everlasting Gobstopper, or wanting to meet an Oompa Loompa, or terrified of that nightmare infused boat ride in the original film. Whichever version you preferred, rest assured there's something for everyone in the current musical incarnation, bearing the same name as the novel, currently on tour and at the Paramount Theatre. There are a few sound issues, and they've taken a few liberties with the characters to punch it up to modern day, but the whimsy and yearning for a?oePure Imaginationa?? is still quite present.
BWW Review: Semi-Sweet CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Gets Sprinkled Into OC's Segerstrom Center
Despite its general pleasant nature, many cute moments, and a plethora of genuine talent on stage, this stage musical adaptation of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY---Roald Dahl's beloved 1964 children's novel about a sweet, affable kid who wins a meet-and-greet (and more!) with an eccentric Candy Man named Willy Wonka--- comes off less magical and whimsical than one would hope it would be considering its source material. Is this national tour production---now continuing performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts through June 9---joyful enough for kids and kids-at-heart to enjoy? Sure. But, overall, something about it feels just slightly under-baked, as if all the additional necessary ingredients that would have made this musical extraordinary didn't quite make it into the mix.
Casting Announced For CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY At Segerstrom Center
The producers and Segerstrom Center for the Arts are pleased to announce casting for the national tour of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, which will play Segerstrom Hall May 28 - June 9, 2019. As previously announced, Broadway veteran Noah Weisberg (South Pacific, Enron, Elf, Legally Blonde) will star as the extraordinary chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, with Henry Boshart (age 10), Collin Jeffery (age 11) and Rueby Wood (age 11), alternating in the title role of Charlie Bucket.
BWW Review: Hollywood Pantages Offers Pure Imagination with CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
What an incredible week this has been! First Matilda the Musical and now Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both based on Roald Dahl's books. It most definitely is a world of pure imagination for kids of all ages. Currently at the Hollywood Pantages through April 14, The Chocolate Factory is a uniquely mesmerizing tale of little Charlie Bucket, who, like Matilda, is a genius who can create something out of nothing.
Willy Wonka (Noah Weisberg) desperately wants an heir to his Chocolate Factory, so
BWW Review: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at PPAC
As a massive Roald Dahl fan, this reviewer secretly hopes his entire catalog will wind up as Broadway shows someday. For now, we have Matilda The Musical (London 2010, Broadway 2013) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (London 2013, Broadway 2017). The stage version of the 1964 novel that has had two film adaptations does a very good job of marrying the original text with many of the beloved songs from the 1971 film. It also doesn't shy away from the fact that Willy Wonka invites five children into his place of business, and four of them may end up dead or disfigured by the end of the day. The script has some updates for the time period, but in this age of helicopter parenting and raising your kids practically encased in bubble wrap, it's kind of nice see this show lean into the darker aspects of the story, which are the hallmarks of Roald Dahl's writing.
BWW Review: Boston Opera House Welcomes CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY National Tour
The Boston premiere of the US National Tour of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY opened at the Boston Opera House this week, just a year after the Broadway production closed. The core of the Broadway creative team brings in a 36-member cast, including the beguiling candy man Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas, his odd little troupe of orange-haired factory workers.
BWW Review: Willy Wonka Re-Invented for the 21st Century
This is not your parents' Willy Wonka. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the new musical by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is a bigger, brighter, louder version of the beloved novel by Roald Dahl. Featuring larger-than-life projections, updated characters, and brand-new music - the world of Willy Wonka has never looked flashier.