Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Review
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com
Reviewed by Hayley Thorn
My fiancé and I had a wonderful night at the Theatre Royal watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a new musical based on the famous Roald Dahl original.
We arrived early and were pleasantly surprised by the short queues despite the later packed out theatre… must have been due to the highly efficient staff members we met.
After being given our tickets and programmes we were able to go straight in and find our seats and not wait around (common in other theatres). We were swiftly guided to our seats by the extremely helpful and bubbly young staff members.
If I had one negative comment about the theatre itself, it would be that the seats were quite uncomfortable so a stretch of your legs and a walk around during the intermission is a must!
The show was fantastic, full of comedy for both adults and children and had everyone giggling from the get go. Credit to the creators of the sets, along with the young cast members as they really make the show what it is. Especially sweet talking Charlie, quirky faces pulled by Verruca and the energy from Violet really stick in your memory.
The show has been updated and modernised to a good standard where it does not spoil the main original storyline too much. The acting deserves acknowledgement too as it was so good I nearly cried during one scene involving Charlie and his parents. The energy, dance routines and songs were also as lively and delivered with so much enthusiasm that it left you wanting more.
Unfortunately for some, not all original songs are sung in the theatre show, but don’t dismay you soon get certain songs from the show cemented in your brain. I know my fiancé was singing The Dubble Bubble Duchess to his fellow workmates the next day!
The production interacted with the audience in various ways throughout and it is truly a show that can be recommended for all ages.
Rating: 5/5 
For more information or to book tickets visit http://www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com/.
