By Michelle Rawlins
Reviewed at Leeds Playhouse
Leeds Playhouse have built a reputation of wowing their audience with spectacular Christmas shows and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory certainly delivered the golden ticket.
This fantastical musical adaptation of the much-loved magical book by Roald Dahl brings back to life the hopes and dreams of little Charlie Bucket and his poverty-stricken family, who dream of nothing more than meeting the wizard-like Willy Wonka himself, with extraordinary results.
Although there is still all the sugar and candy you would expect, this deliciously wicked retelling is slightly darker than the 1971 film. The oopma-loompas are not quite as cute, after being given a contemporary, pumped-up makeover and Mr Wonka, expertly performed by Gareth Snook, seems even more strange and eccentric than ever, as he repeatedly steals the show.
Although the first half took a little while to get going, there was still much to love as the lucky winners of the competition to enter the marvellous word of the never seen before chocolate factory, are introduced. Apart from the kind and good-hearted Charlie, under the guidance of his loving Grandpa Joe, the other four indulged and spoilt children are as ridiculously revolting and annoying as you would expect.
Mike Teavee (Teddy Hinde) bombards onto the stage, wielding a nerf-style gun, blatantly ignoring his poor worn down mother, while Augutus Gloop (Robin Simoes Da Silva), is only happy to be overfed by his parents. Kazmin Borrer does an excellent job of playing the excessively spoilt little princess, while Marisha Morgan is fabulous as the gum-chewing celebrity wannabe Violet Beauregarde.
Once inside Mr Wonka’s fantastical playground, under the direction of James Brining, the production team have done an impressive job of recreating the magical funfair that Dahl originally created, and we have all grown to know and love. Due to the very nature that this a stage production, we were never going to get a real chocolate river or a giant glass elevator, but the team behind the special effects manage to do a pretty good job of recreating the infamous scenes, using video screens and projections, thanks to Simon Wainwright.
The magic of this story is always embedded in the very innocence of budding inventor Charlie Bucket, who was performed by the very adept, Kayleen Nguema. As with the book and the film, you are willing the innocent impoverished, yet happy-go-lucky kid to get the life he, his mum and grandparents ultimately deserve.
We all know the infamous ending, but this theatrical production takes us on a magical journey that makes your heart leap a little and smile in the wonder of the story that Dahl created all those years ago.
At Leeds Playhouse until 28 January, then touring until 26 November
Tickets available here
Photos by Johan Persson