Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Photo: Andy Abbott
Review by Martine Silkstone
I don’t know how they have done it, but the Bury St Edmunds Operatic and Dramatic Society have mastered some kind of theatrical alchemy. It doesn’t seem to matter what production they are doing, watching one of their shows always manages to fill me with joy and light.
Now, that’s not to say that everything always goes perfectly (choreography often being the challenge) but there’s such an abundance of talent in this company and, most importantly, they all have a simply marvellous time on stage - and that is infectious.
Their current production of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is prime example - what a treat! They have taken Roald Dahl’s classic tale and filled it with all the heart and child-like wonder it requires to truly work on stage.
We all know the story, right?
The world-famous Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious sweet factory…but only to a lucky few. Young Charlie Bucket and four other golden ticket winners embark on a life-changing journey through his world of pure imagination, where they encounter chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels and an army of curious Oompa-Loompas.
Photo: Andy Abbott
There have been a few different versions over the years, but this is the musical incarnation which features some great original songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, while still incorporating a few well-known tunes from the original 1971 film (a firm family favourite in our household).
For example…
We open with ‘The Candy Man’ - such a clever move for those of us who are familiar with the movie, as we are immediately transported to Wonka’s world and ready for some sweet shenanigans.
Meanwhile, for those who perhaps haven’t seen the movie, great staging and costumes really help set the scene. I especially love the inflation of Violet (so clever) and the glass elevator. There is also a large screen across rear of stage which I initially thought might be asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting fantasy-world-wise, but no, it is actually just there to add dimension and occasionally humour - nice.
The rest of the magic is taken care of by the talented cast, some playing several roles and some displaying an astonishing array of accents, not to mention great yodelling - and you don’t often get to write THAT in a review.
Photo: Andy Abbott
We were treated to the young Team Oompa for our performance (they alternate with Team Loompa) and Austin Rolt was wonderful as our Charlie - full of barely contained energy and word perfect in the role. I also loved how professional he was, looking to the Musical Director for cue, and his rendition of ‘A Letter from Charlie Bucket’ was just beautiful. Great work also by his young co-stars: Jasmine Briggs as Veruca Salt, Seth Jackson as Mike Teevee (great physical performance), Henry Nichol as Augustus Gloop, and Imogen Rowland as Violet Beauregarde.
Other highlights for me were provided by Grandpa George (Nic Metcalfe) and his grumpy one-liners, the impressive moves of Mr Beauregarde (Stephen Lawrence), the stunning voice of Kat Metcalfe as Mrs Bucket, and the fabulous Holly Hayhurst as woman-on-the-edge, Mrs Teevee.
But star of the show - literally and performatively - is Steve Murray as Willy Wonka. This is not an easy role and so intrinsic to the success of the whole thing that the pressure was on - but he nailed it. Not just visually (love the hair and he wears the hat well) but also in balancing a kind heart with just enough quirky weirdness to make it funny.
After the interval we are treated to his gorgeous performance of ‘Pure Imagination’ and if I hadn’t already been fully on-board, that was the clincher.
Funny, touching and, to cap it off, the final scene where Charlie gets his prize is simple perfection.
If pushed, I would say my one issue is that it’s occasionally hard to hear the lyrics as they are so fast paced and in different accents, but it is a small thing and I, for one, will take ‘heart’ over ‘perfection’ any day of the week.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is at Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds until May 17.
FOR SHOW DETAILS AND BOOKING LINK, CLICK HERE