Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Over the weekend, my son and I had the pleasure of watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Once we arrived in Central London, we picked up our tickets from LSBO, Leicester Square Box Office, a company offering discounted and half price tickets for most West End musicals, plays and comedies.
It was simple and easy to collect our theatre tickets, I liked the fact there were two queues at LSBO, one for those buying tickets and another for collection. The collection queue was empty so it took no more than five minutes to collect our tickets from a friendly member of staff, we then made our way to the theatre within walking distance from the ticket office.
We arrived at Theatre Royal Drury Lane half an hour before Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical was due to start. The doors had just opened, we were then shown to our seats by a helpful member of staff. Very soon, the theatre was full, the lights were off, the curtains opened and the show was about to begin.
I must admit that after reading Roald Dahl’s original novel, I had high expectations and was looking forward to seeing the musical directed by Sam Mendes. Throughout the show, my expectations were not only met, but exceeded by the great cast, beautiful set and special effects.
The novel was cleverly adapted with several set changes, puppets, videos and gorgeous costumes, together they brought Mr Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory to life and we were able to immerse into the story of Charlie’s adventure from the moment he found his golden ticket until he was given the chocolate factory.
The performance runs for two and a half hours, including an interval. The show starts by introducing Charlie’s background and family, but the fun truly begins on the second half once the five golden ticket winners are outside Wonka Chocolate Factory. Each room of the factory is reproduced with a mixture of special effects and illusion, the chocolate garden and Oompa-Loompas complete the scene.
The young cast members did a great job, I couldn’t help but falling in love with Charlie Bucket, sweet and enchanting character. The other winners of golden ticket, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde and Mike Teavee, are presented exactly how you expect them to be.
I would highly recommend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical to anyone after a magical and captivating theatre experience, adults and kids alike. Although the show is recommended for children aged 7 and above, my little boy is nearly 5 and thoroughly enjoyed it. We both agree that, if we had to describe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical in one word, it would be ‘Magical’.
For more information or how to book your ticket, please visit http://www.lsbo.co.uk/Musical/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory.htm
We attended Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on behalf of What’s Good To Do. The opinions expressed in this review are honest and our own. This post can be found at http://www.whatsgoodtodo.com/pages/view/charlie_and_the_chocolate_factory_musical_review