Who would have thought that a young boy who attended boarding school would be invited to a local chocolate factory to trial new chocolate bars along with other pupils and 35 years later create a well-loved story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? It is one of the most read and loved stories of all time! Over the years it has been adapted to films and theatre shows. This famous well-loved tale by Roald Dahl has landed at the Kings Theatre this week and is an absolute showstopper!
My first thought was that it was a national show that had made its way to the Southsea stretch but no, the production was created in-house and was directed by artistic director Jack Edwards.
The stage set has been designed to such a high standard and has the wow factor. When the show started, I wondered how a modern-day theatre could pull off all the scenes and make it look as good as the films but with new technology and an incredible backdrop, they really pulled it off.
Flynn Hughes, who is only 10 years old, played Charlie Bucket. During the first scene, I kept wondering how he could be such a good actor and perform the way he did at such a young age. He was a huge highlight of the whole night for me. At the end of the show, he received an incredible response from the audience.
Casting a show like this, you just know you need a good Willy Wonka and I think the part was played fantastically by Timothy Quinlan. Having starred in many successful West End shows, he carried the stage well and brought a sense of humour and mystery to his character.
My favourite scene was the blueberry scene where Violet Beaureguarde eats the gum and turns into a giant blueberry. It was done in such a humourous way and made all the audience laugh. I also loved the vegetable seller as she made such funny comments that made you laugh out loud. The elevator scene at the end was dramatic and fun and just shows what can be achieved, even in an old theatre that is hundreds of years old.
The casting offered a good match to the characters and I loved the costume designs. Willa Wonka’s outfit really carried well on stage. I loved the charismatic moment when the oompa loompas arrived and gave a really good presence to the show.
The one gentle nod to Roald Dahl that touched my heart was the chair that Charlie sleeps in on stage as it resembled the very style of chair that the author himself used to write his stories. Down at the bottom of his garden in his writing shed, Roald would spend hours in his chair and I found that fascinating when I went to visit the museum a few years ago. This wing-back chair was just an ordinary piece of furniture that had a writing board propped across the arms but is where incredible stories were created. Even the writing board he used was given a nod on the stage set design at the Kings Theatre and I liked that.
I can’t imagine there will be many tickets left after such a wonderful first night’s performance but if you can get tickets then please go as it is a delightful show full of surprises, joy and fun. Definitely worthy of a sell-out show every night! On until Sunday 13th October. Book here
