CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (UK TOUR) @ Manchester Palace

 

Roald Dahl's morality tale of Charlie Bucket's search for a golden ticket has become a modern classic.  The original book debuted in 1964,  but it was the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that brought the story to a whole new global level. Gene Wilder's mercurial Willy Wonka gave children and adults alike the trip of a lifetime inside his sweet factory,  complete with Oompa Loompas and hidden dangers.  A 2005 re-imagining with Johnny Depp took advantage of the leaps in technology that had occured in the interveneing years to bring an even more visually sumptuous telling of the story.  In 2013 the theatre beckoned,  a new musical wtih music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and  Scott Wittman.  After a strint on Broadway,  the musical has been revived in a new production in conjunction with the Leeds Playhouse.

Act 1 deals solely with the search for and the finding of the five Golden Tickets that have been hidden inside the Wonka Bars worldwide. As we all now know four of the tickets go to some very undesirable recipients:  Mike Teavee, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt.  Thankfully in an incredible stroke of luck Charlie finds a coin and spends it on a Wonka Bar,  and the fifth Golden Ticket is his.  And so the story unfolds as the five and their guardians take a trip into Willy Wonka's mysterious factory.

Its a tall order for the theatre to match the big budget vistas of the movies,  but set and costume designer Simon Higlett together with illusionist Chris Fisher and video designer Simon Wainwright have combined to make Charlie's journey a thrilling spectacle. You never come out of the theatre feeling short changed after years of watching the movie versions. Central to the piece are two performances:  that of Charlie and Willy Wonka.  Charlie had changed gender on the night I saw the show,  Jessie Lou-Harvie sported a Glasgow accent and won the hearts of everyone in the audience with her portrayal of the poor but never downhearted Charlie. We rooted for her with every scene.  She is matched by Gareth Snook's Willy Wonka. Genial, scary,  magical - Snook managed to portray all these things as he took on one of modern literature's most famous figures and made the role his own.  His entrance song 'It Must Be Believed To Be Seen' set the perfect tone for the crazy antics of the inventor.

Each of the 'victims' portrayed their characters to the hilt.  Emma Rowbotham Hunt as the terminally spoilt Veruca Salt,  Teddy Hinde as television and game obsessive Mike Teavee,  Marisha Morgan as social influencer and teenage pop star Violet Beauregarde and  Robin Simões Da Silva as serial scoffer Augustus Gloop. The performers delivered children who should be seen and not heard, preferably not seen. Each one transforming themselves into the very worst type of human being.

A shout out too for Michael D'Cruze as a heartwarming Grandpa Joe and Leonie Spilsbury as Mrs. Bucket,  both of whom were a stand out in the first Act.

Anyone expecting the Oompa Loompas to be orange and little were in for a surprise.  Due perhaps to budgetary restrictions and the need for the cast to play multiple roles, these inhabitants of Wonka's factory are now silver clockwork droids (we think) but they still are a focal point of work in the factory.

Music wise Marc Shaiman's score is serviceable,  we didn't spot any hit tunes in there which linger in the mind, and two iconic songs from the 1971 film 'Pure Imagination' and 'The Candyman' have been retained to put a smile on the face of old stagers like us.  

All told the cast and the nine piece band delivered a quality show which would be a golden ticket for anyone lucky enough to catch the tour.  We sat captivated from start to finish as were the packed audience (largely made up of kids) at the Palace.  If you are lucky enough to find your own ticket (and its not cheap to go to Wonka's factory) you'll be pleasantly rewarded with a confectionary of delight.  But watch out for the giant squirrel!

Rob & Ian

BACK TO THE THEATRE: ADVENTURES IN MANCHESTER

 

ROB & IAN GO TO GLASGOW

 

IAN GOES TO OLD TRAFFORD

 

NAOMI EYERS INTERVIEW

 

IAN GOES TO WEMBLEY

 

THEATRE ETIQUETTE: a thing of the past?

A little rant about the way people are starting to behave in theatres.  As long standing supporters of the theatre,  we understand people want to enjoy themselves on a night out.  The prospect of seeing your favourite show / pop songs being performed live on stage is thrilling.  BUT let the professionals do it please.  There seems to be an element who attend the theatre who think they are in their living rooms watching a movie, so arm themselves with a full bucket of popcorn, beers, wine, sweets...  And think nothing of disturbing others by keep nipping out to the loo or a top up during the show. Even worse loud talking, commenting what is happening in the show constantly.  And as for people singing along...   the events in Manchester at The Bodyguard are the tip of the iceberg compared to what shows in London such as The Drifters Girl and Only Fools And Horses have suffered.   It starts from people arriving at the show very drunk and descends into all round nastiness as audience members argue and start fights, with the shows in full flow!  

When we visit a London theatre it is likely that we have spent up to £100 each on a ticket,  a further £100 in train fares and even an overnight stay in an hotel, £100 plus. So easily up to £500 for us both to enjoy a show in the West End.  What we do not want is some entitled drunken arseholes ruining the experience for us by talking, singing, eating throughout the show. And then there are mobile phones. 'Turn off your phone' is displayed throughout most theatres, some even making announcements before the show, but lo and behold there are still message tones, full on call ringing and a sea of blue light as some people are more interested in dealing with social media than watching the show they have paid to attend.

Theatre managments need to be on top of this. We have been in auditoriums where people are disruptive and there is not an usher in sight monitoring the proceedings.  Plus theatres are happy to sell copious amounts of alcohol for consuming inside and outside the auditorium,  plus enough confectionary to sink a battleship, so indeed they must themselves provide an efficient monitoring of what is happening inside the auditorium or face the consquences if not - and by that I mean REFUNDS OR REPLACEMENT TICKETS if a situation is not dealt with swiftly over which they might have some control.  Kick them in the box office receipts is the only way to get them to up their game.

We applaud Manchester Palace for stepping up to the mark and stopping the rowdy members who seemed to think they were at a karaoke bar on Canal Street. This unfortunately resulted in the final 10 minutes of the show being cancelled. But a stand has to be taken.  When we book for the theatre now there is always an thought, who will we be sitting next to?  It makes a massive difference to our experience on the night. Frankly, we have no qualms about telling other people who might be disturbing our enjoyment to shut up, but even doing that you risk starting an all out argument with people who seemingly just couldn't give a shit anyway, such is the level of entitlement going on.

90% of theatre audiences are still respectful of the performers on stage and fellow audience members, but there is a creeping element getting larger, for whom the theatre is the same as football, where behaviour can be extreme.  

We do enjoy our pop and rock musicals, but it might be time to get all culturally snobby and stick to Sondheim,  even if waiting for a catchy tune is like waiting for the return of Halley's comet.  And least the wait will be a peaceful one.

Rob & Ian