‼️I played Charlie in the musicals Australian national tour. The musical was simply different; it was a slightly modified version of the broadway script that our Australian actors brought to such life. I remember specifically a few little scenes and lines that were interpreted by our team with such subtlety and black comedy that on most nights we were getting standing ovations mid show - multiple times. Honestly I believe that this show is its best when you let the actors run a little wild - it’s how Roald Dahl was thinking when he put the madness into words - and it’s what makes it’s key concepts of madness, hope, and irony, shine. Even the brothers themselves (broadway writers) said to us that we turned their script into something they never expected - and they said it was the best version of the show they’d done. I wish for larger productions to be treated more like a small team sharing a piece of madness with the world - not an industrial ticketing machine.
My non-musical theatre brother who loves the original film went with his girlfriend to see this in Cardiff a few months back - he loved it. He was blown away by all of the effects and the actor who played Wonka. I think he fits in the category of casual person who loves the original who was curious, but he loved it
I'm so disappointed that they kept the change of Charlie's father being gone - i guess it makes sense for the smaller cast but i think If Your Mother Were Here is a much better, more nuanced, and more tragic than If Your Father Were Here. The idea that both parents are alive and want to be there but can't because they BOTH have to work so much and still be so poor is a much more interesting take on the class politics than just 'she's a widow :((((('
I haven’t seen the show myself, but I’m utterly baffled that you don’t even get into the factory until essentially act 2! I appreciate that its difficult to find an interval point in the material, but i would be so disappointed if id bought tickets to see the show, and the whole of act 1 is just the build up as you described.
The book and movie is essentially two parts though - before they enter the factory, and inside the factory. It makes sense for the interval to be between the two parts, especially as you meet Wonka outside at the end of the first act and it builds the excitement of 'follow me inside' as the interval starts. The problem is all the good stuff is in the second part. I agree the first act drags out far too long though.
I saw the show in London years ago, and it took for ever. They spent the entire first act introducing all the kids. I get how it is built and why they do it, but the first act dragged.
I saw it last night and every time the 'Oompa Loompas' came out, they kept on reminding me of the Wheelers in Return to Oz! 😭😭 If I was a child in that audience I would've been crying!
I didn't mind the Oompa Loompas being the kind of cyberpunk robot that they were and definitely looked like the were from Oz, with a 1966 cyberman costume budget, but they came on very mechanical and then as soon as their entrance was over they went out of character, lost all the robotic feel and played basketball with the fluidity of a T-1000. well not quiet lol
If I recall correctly, Amelia Minto is actually from Leeds herself so that’s why she has the northern accent. I saw her in late December and she was phenomenal!!
Saw this in Leeds and I just think Amelia Minto was absolutely fantastic. Her voice just completely blew me away, she will definitely go on to be a star
I thought the adults playing the bad kids did perfectly well in this production, but I'm also kind of old school and preferred the West End approach of having them be played by real children. The argument that it provides more of a contrast to Charlie's innocence is all well and good, but I think it's way more hilarious when you have that degree of vehemence/attitude coming out of an actual child - particularly with Mike and Veruca. Still, I appreciate that it maybe isn't so practical from a touring perspective to have five cast members constantly having to be switched out.
Surely an interval would have worked after one of the kids 'disappearing' (e.g. augustus or verucca). Song that builds suspense, kid dissapears, drop curtain? But then it sounded pretty anti-climatic so maybe not 😂
@@yayshowvids6427 Was it the national Tour you saw, or the Broadway production? Cause having seen the bootleg for both, I can attest that they do have a model design for the factory at the front doors, and then a miniature scale model during "The View from Here" just below Wonka and Charlie aboard the Great Glass Elevator. Either way, I'm admittedly not impressed with the basic large one pillar rectangular building design they had for portraying the Chocolate Factory in either the Broadway/Tour Versions, nor the(from a distance) simple roundish design of the factory in the West End production either. (Even the "small scale metropolis" with a top hat shaped water tower on the side in the later Broadway/Australian national tours feels uninspired to me personally) Of all the designs of the factory period(including the Gene Wilder Factory design), I believe Tim Burton's design for the factory(for the 2005 film) is the most intriguing and eye catching. With the way the large funnel stands as the tallest structure, and the flowing symmetry of the warehouses and smaller roofed towers surrounding it, all with large yet detailed splashes of grey to both hide the colors of Wonka's imagination inside and also to stand as it's own distinguished structure in the story(much like The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland California, or The Hollywood Tower Hotel in both Florida and Paris, or even Hotel Hightower in Tokyo Disney Sea(ignoring the gaping structures blown out by the lighting[where you see the elevator shafts that open up to reveal the riders inside as they drop]). It's no wonder they referenced the design(while having it also be Wonka's Head and Hat when turned left sideways) in the logo for the show, and I really hoped they would've consistently referenced that design in the silhouettes of the factory in both the West End and Broadway runs.
I thought it was strange that the whole first act centres around the Bucket family having no money and no chance of affording a chocolate bar, but when Charlie comes back with a golden ticket, nobody seems to question it
Kinda weird that they didn't go with one of the versions from the movies. In the 1971 version, they establish that the family scrapes together what money they can to buy Charlie a chocolate bar for his birthday-- and I think they do the same in the remake, and they also establish that the 1971 Charlie has a job as a newspaper delivery boy, and he chooses to buy a Wonka candy with the money he gets paid, and when he sees he has some left over, he buys a regular Wonka bar that ends up containing the golden ticket (right after establishing that the person who "found" the last ticket was lying). In the remake, Charlie finds money lying on the ground and uses it to buy the Wonka bar, thus discovering the golden ticket, rushes home and while his family is excited over this news, Charlie - being the Christlike saint he is, immediately says that they should sell the ticket because the money they could get from it would be enough to buy them actual food so they're not living solely on cabbage soup (and, it's been awhile since I've seen the remake, but I feel like there's also an underlying implication that if they sold the last golden ticket for a fortune, there's a possibility they would be able to lift themselves out of poverty). (This is neither here nor there, but one of the things that bother me about the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake - beside it being posited as the superior version because "it follows closer to the book", is the way they portray Charlie Buckett as this perfect, selfless child who is constantly sacrificing his own happiness for his family, is optimistic to a fault, and is just so pure and wonderful that he manages to fix the lives of all the adults around him because he's this magical saint of a child. It's saccharine to the point of obnoxiousness. I like that 1971 Charlie Buckett is a bit selfish and pessimistic sometimes. It makes sense because he's this kid with no father-- I think it's implied that his father may have passed away, his mother has to take odd jobs to help support his four elderly, sickly grandparents, and he's had to get a job himself to literally help support his family to barely keep a roof over their head and food on their table. He's had to grow up pretty quickly because of his predicament, but seeing him use his pay to buy himself candy - even though he knows he should be giving it to his mother to help support his family, reminds us that he's still just a kid. Sometimes kids can be self-centered, but we can rationalize that Charlie deserves to have childish/childlike moments because we see from his actions that he still deeply loves and cares about his family and he also will do the right thing such as returning the Everlasting Gobstopper to Wonka instead of following Uncle Joe's suggestion of selling it to Slugworth. 1971 Charlie Buckett is setup as a better underdog because he already has a difficult life and has so much to lose if he doesn't win the contest - again, before finding out Slugworth works for Wonka and believing him to be a sleazy competitor, Charlie gives up his chance at a fortune by returning his Gobstopper. Remake Charlie, although he lives in poverty, still has both of his parents as well as his grandparents, and can so easily walk away from being Wonka's chosen heir with no remorse because he has a loving family that he's not going to abandon because he had that unconditional familial love and support Wonka never had growing up - which even that I found to be weird unnecessary conflict for Wonka in the remake. Like, really? All this is because Daddy didn't love you? Okay... I preferred it when Wonka was kept mysterious and you didn't know his motivations or reasoning for the things he did. I can perfectly accept that he became a chocolatier/candy maker because he loved it and it brought him joy. Adding "oh it's really because he has all this unresolved trauma as a result of his overly strict dentist father"... it's just tired.)
I saw the show on Broadway in 2018 with my mom and aunt. Christian Borle played Willy Wonka. We thought it was brilliant. We laughed so much and after the show was over, we agreed that we could have stayed in our seats and watched the show all over again. I was sad that the show didn’t last long.
Christian Borle is amazing in most everything. Loved his Shakespeare in something rotten. Saw the show four times because I brought friends and family to see it
US tour of the Broadway version came through my last year. If I was a kid and saw that show I would've been so traumatized. Veruca is carried off stage by the squirrels, they bring a dummy back onstage and rip it into pieces. Absolutely horrifying. Its also implied Violet also dies - her father comes on after chasing the ball version of her covered in like blueberry guts. The Oopma Loompas were downright terrifying. Puppets with the adult chorus' faces and hair and they used their hands to control the feet with extra sets of hands being the hands when the choreography got more complex.
My biggest issue with this show when I saw it in Cardiff is that the wow factor of seeing the factory for the first time cannot be translated on the stage the way it was in the film and the way it was described in the book. The screen projections didn’t have nearly the same magic and it felt very anti climactic
I totally agree! Seen this in Edinburgh and I had been so looking forward to it but left feeling a tad underwhelmed and disappointed! I did love Charlie and I also really like how the mum character used BSL throughout. Something I think we should see more of on the stage !
When I saw this in Leeds there's a bit where Veruca gets out of the bin and runs back up the stairs to where everyone else is standing and then for some reason runs back down the stairs and gets back in the bin. That bothered me
The first half of the 1971 film before they enter the factory is fantastic; there are countless funny lines and scenes as people go to extreme lengths to try and find the tickets. However, a large part of why it works so well is because it is acted and shot in a very realistic, straightforward manner. This makes scenes of a woman debating whether to give up her case of Wonka Bars as ransom to get her husband back or a man arguing with a machine he made to tell him where the golden tickets are hidden much funnier than if they'd been played too over-the-top. I can imagine it would be hard to translate this vibe to a musical comedy stage show with big cheesy sets and overly campy performances
13:49 Since this came before the section discussing them, I was super confused as to why the Oompa Loompas designed to look like mechanical robots... but I was *more* confused about why is the makeup job on the one on the right not even as finished as the others???
The projection screens are just becoming the go to way to create musicals with spectacle instead of using props like the wizard of oz at the palladium, haven't seen it but am seeing it when it tours, from some of the videos I've seen they also rely on projections and I miss the elaborate sets
I believe I was at the same performance as you! I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. I was so underwhelmed and rather disappointed, and everything you mention I agree with 100%! Especially the chocolate room, Veruca’s scene and all of the projection. I was also disappointed that we didn’t get the ‘I’ve got a golden ticket’ song from the 1971 film. I’ve already forgotten all the songs. Such a shame!
I saw this when it was touring in Philadelphia and...it certainly was an experience. I think when they were doing bows, the guy playing Willy Wonka said that if we didn't like the show to say we saw Wicked 😆
@@sarahbeeee - Must have been an inside joke, due to how reviled the show was on Broadway. Have not seen it myself, but everyone I know who saw it, absolutely hated it.
Glad to hear your thoughts. We saw it in Milton Keynes and were really disappointed. I was left feeling 'meh' at the interval, and then so let down by the chocolate room 'reveal' as the act two opener. We sat in the stalls and couldn't see any floor projections so there was almost nothing to look at as the actors wandered around an empty stage in fake awe! Such a shame. Our Charlie was great, though, and we enjoyed the casual use of BSL in the bucket household too.
I saw the original in the west end you're talking about seven or eight years ago now. I only went because my uni at the time were doing trips to see a musical, this is what was chosen and for 25 quid a ticket in the stalls I wasnt complaining. To this day I still think this is the most FUN musical I've seen, it definitely wasn't my favourite and I don't remember some of the things that happened but it was fun. I also think what helped were the songs; I was never the biggest fan of the original movie with Gene Wilder so I wasn't too fussed about the music in it. My favourite new song would either be the one with Prince Pondicherry or Don'tcha pinch me Charlie. I'm sure the Grandpa Joe I saw was Nigel Planer
I already heard how bad when it was before I saw it in New York, but I was not prepared that we would open Act 2 to a big reveal of… absolutely nothing. When they got to the Chocolate River, and someone just pushed out a table with a small scale model chocolate river that the “kids” climbed up onto and “played” in (so, several grown people trying to perch onto the edges of a small table and pretend to be awed) - that may have been the biggest cringe I’ve ever felt at a theatrical production. To me, nothing in theater has ever felt like as much of a pure cash grab as luring people in with the promise of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, and then NOT bothering to create it.
I thought exactly the same things myself (haven't seen the original production to compare) so specifically looked to see if you'd reviewed it to find that you essentially voiced my own internal review (in a much more entertaining way! 😉) I love it when that happens! ❤ Also your chocolate break made me chuckle 🍫😛
I am a bit confused by the kids being killed thing as in the book and film i didn't think any of them died just had to live with whatever thing has afflicted them while on the tour of the factory (all a result of their own reckless actions of course.) Not seen the show yet but have tickets for later this year. Oh well at least my expectations have been lowered so maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. Act 1 does sound rather boring though. In the book Charlie does just find the money and buys a chocolate bar so that sounds more like the original source material to me. I don't remember any agonising over whether to buy food for his family or the chocolate but it has been a while since i read the book. Although i like the 2 films I enjoyed the book more. Also I am from Birmingham and going to see the show here. I know the original inspiration for the book was the Cadbury chocolate factory in Bournville in Birmingham so to me it feels like chocolate is coming home.
@@IWillBeHers I feel bad for saying it, but I remember very little from it because it was just there. It was something I went and saw that left no mark on me whatsoever. I remember more about eating at Denneys afterwards and then going to see the Donna Summer Musical a few days later.
omg I was waiting for you to do a video on this! I'm an absolutely massive fan of the musical in general (I prefer the Broadway version because I'm a simp for I've Got a Golden Ticket and Candy Man and I love Wonka in disguise in the first act lol, but I know a lot of people prefer the original West End version. My actual favourite is the Australian production because I just adore the cast so much 😭). I was so incredibly excited to finally see a live production for real but it definitely was disappointing in a lot of ways. I agree with you on a lot of stuff. Even though you mention mostly the set being disappointing, the music and the performances were what truly made me feel meh about it. :( You're totally right about how they could have been much more inventive with the staging though. I think the Broadway / Australian productions also had that problem with literal bare bones set but I feel like they kinda made up for it a lot with the performances / how funny and punchy the show was. Maybe this is harsh but the orchestration in the UK tour ver. sounded so lacklustre and slow compared to other productions and there were parts of songs that were completely cut (noticeably, the kids songs), and other random musical pieces shoehorned in at other moments that just kinda messed up the flow and pacing of the whole thing imo. Also I was really disappointed that they included Dont'cha Pinch Me Charlie from the OG West End soundtrack but not Simply Second Nature instead of Pure Imagination, which was such a missed opportunity. The arrangement for It Must Be Believed To Be Seen was also super weird and dragging and that song is like,,, the hook of the show from a fans perspective lmao. Maybe it was just the theatre I saw it at as well, and the sound mixing / mic volumes were super bad, but I could barely understand some of the actors at times, like they weren't projecting enough? Probably a nitpick though. BUT Gareth Snook was a great Wonka and very fun to watch. And ofc the costumes and set were gorgeous. 🥺 Also female Charlie has my whole entire heart and I will protect her until my death. Anyway, sorry for the essay 💀 I could literally talk about it for days but infodump over. Just wanted to give my thoughts as a long time fan of the show. Great video! 😊 It was really great to hear what you thought. Thanks so much for covering this Mickey-Jo
Interesting, I was really looking forward to seeing it at the Mayflower…I’ll still see it as I never saw the original but interesting you were disappointed… what would you have given the original production?
Difficult to say as it was so long ago and I wasn't really approaching it with a critical mindset but it was still not perfectly executed - probably a 3 or 4.
I saw it in the American tour and veruca was covertly replaced with a prop mid dance and then you see her torn limb from limb before you realize the swap. Spectacular my mother and I burst out laughing from the horror and the little kid two seats over started crying.
I went into this production really wanting to enjoy it but I unfortunately didn't. I felt Gareth Snook's interpretation of Wonka was more angry than unhinged and charmingly wacky, especially in the verses added in 'It Must Be Believed To Be Seen' when he grabs Mike by the scruff of the neck. I don't know how it was at other venues but I was so disappointed that the production had the same issue Broadway had with the pure reliance on screens and projections. It took so much charm out of it, particularly as The Chocolate Room should be a set that makes the audience go 'wow' and when it's all done on a screen, it just makes you go '...oh'. However, I did particularly like the screens being utilised to bring set pieces together, with the best example being The Nut Room. Although I never got to see it, I think the original London Production will always be the best version of this Musical and I think it probably would have been best to just bring that back as the effects in that, along with the comedic look of the Oompa-Loompas (which had all the life and fun sucked out of them in the form of robots) and beautiful sets.
i personally disagree with having wonka in a hidden role at the start because it makes it feel like he's choosing and guiding charlie but... why kill 4 other kids if you've already chosen charlie?
Thank you for putting my feelings about the show into words! I was very disappointed by the set design in the second act, too. (Spoiler: As I was in The Wizard of Oz). But I very much appreciated the gender-neutral casting of Charlie and I think the usage of sign language was a nice choice. Although it might have come across a bit gimmicky at times.
I’ve got to say, I really didn’t like that in this adaptation it is obvious that Veruca and Violet both die from what happens to them. Whereas in the movie ,and I believe in the original novel, all the children are intended to survive, if somewhat altered. The fact that they both die, and Willy Wonka kind of blows it off, makes him seem more dangerously psychotic rather than than charming and mischievous.
In this production they included some dialogue during the glass elevator sequence where Charlie asks about the other kids and Wonka assures him/her that they are all still alive (if not exactly the same). You still only have Wonka's word to go on, but if you prefer to think of them as all having survived then you do have a much bigger out than before. Tbh, I think it was always meant to be ambiguous, and you could have it either way, although in the case of Veruca I don't think they originally did enough to incorporate the possibility she might have survived (your only out was Charlie's refusal to believe anything truly nasty had really happened). And as much as I love the West End version, I didn't feel even they were able to work the ambiguity to the show's advantage - Mike is the only bad kid who gets a clear resolution, and his exit is easily the strongest.
I think there was a originally a strike that reversed it where we would see the kids out of the factory but they end up eliminating it so now is more implied that Augustus, Violet and Veruca are death
You're right that the original book (and also the Burton film) make it very clear the kids are alive but changed by their experience, it's only the Wilder version that doesn't show them, because he's the only Wonka who is clearly presented as untrustworthy, but even he says the children are alive and will be their usual, unpleasant selves in time, so you can read it that way. I do love that they carried that malicious side of Wonka over into this performance (Gareth Snook understood the assignment and nailed it, all the actors were amazing really), but it's clear they originally intended the kids to die. Having Oompa Loompas waving cleavers with Augustus, Violet exploding against the glass and Wonka acknowledging that Verruca will probably burn alive are hard to read any other way. The version I saw today had a lot of lines where Wonka says things like "she'll be her normal self...more or less" and "they're on their way home now" and it's such a huge contrast to what is actually seen that I have a feeling they had to backpedal because they were getting too grim. Also some of the kids didn't feel like they deserved their fates so much here; Augustus was pretty happy and nice up to the river part, so it felt really out of left field suddenly having him be whisked off to be chopped up into chunks of fudge. You want the kids to be full on nasty little brats to sell this kind of plot.
The New Wimbledon run has been fraught with problems. They even had to cancel a few performances because of the heat. It’s a shame really because the cast are so talented. Especially Lydia Brad!
So happy I found your channel, I love your content. I've been in deep denial about my theatre kid side for nearly a decade now but you're making me say omg hey to her again
Completely agree, I saw in Leeds. It must be believed to be seen had my head in my hands, which is such a shame considering thats the strongest song in the broadway version. Violets death was so so so so awful, that silly little beach ball was so embarrassing. Thought performances were wonderful - especially Grandpa Joe Amazing review
saw this in its original Leeds playhouse run- talent wise, it was fantastic. shout-out to amelia minto and the actors playing augustus, violet and mikes mum in particular. but it just lacks the set and design we'd expect tbh.
I get all your points but I still really enjoyed it! Only thing I didn't like was the adults playing the kids! I thought Gareth Snook was much better than the London leads!x
This is so interesting because this sounds so much like the let down I had seeing the Australian version a few years back. It did not live up to the movie - though, at least we had like one small set piece with the screens. Disappointing. I think it was the same year we got Aladdin, so comparing that to the Cave of Wonders...
Why wouldn’t they end act one after they enter the spectacular chocolate room and do a big ‘happy ending number’ as the kids and parent are wowed by and enjoy the incredible room. Then act 2 opens as darkness begins to invade the musical. At least some of act 2 gets moved to act 1, even if it isn’t a lot.
For me, the best actors were Veruca and Oleg. Loved the accent, loved the ballet aspect, and Veruca’s demise(and the fact she yelled for help despite being torn apart implies that this girl be so rich she can’t die. She’s like Kenny from South Park, but mean and rich.) Emma Pfaeffel did great as Veruca.
Really feels like they were 'restrained' by the budget, as opposed to emphasizing the creativity of the 'lack' of budget. Though I'll note, knowing how expensive animation and graphic design is, the 'savings' were probably less to do with the cost of the tech itself, and more the cost of shipping and setting everything up. This reminds me of the Broadway Spongebob musical where practically all of the stage was made of discarded junk and refuse, or at least really cheap plastic stuff, and the costumes were over the top with Mr. Crabs just wearing these giant boxing gloves. That had so much fun creativity and amusement with what's effectively the same budget and a fraction of the technology (not a traveling musical yes but with that kind of creativity I can imagine them finding a way to shrink it down). Also, still think the robots were a bit... *naff*, like it really felt like some SteamPunk fan's first costume project. The Oompa Loompas were practically small clowns that ran across the stage that you could do fun things with with... well.. *creativity*. Which is kind of why I think the robots was less of a 'for political correctness reasons' and more for a 'we just didn't know how to depict short people'. Either way, it really looks like set production just let the whole thing down.
I felt the same about Jersry Boys.. By the end of Act One, we'd only had their first 3 hits.. Consequently, the other 20 or so had to be crammed into the 2nd Act in very short snips of a chorus here & there.
Why did the first act not end after “Pure Imagination”? Since, that song is the introduction of the Wonka Chocolate Factory. As much as I adore the Gene Wilder “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, the stage show just seemed like a cheap knockoff, attempting to bank on the “Matilda the Musical” acclaim. Which is why I was not surprised when it underperformed on Broadway.
I saw the US touring production a few years back and I was definetly underwhelmed. Although, I was terrified of the movie and storyline as a kid so I might have been biased to begin with.
I saw the original westend run and I don’t remember thinking it was bad but I also just don’t remember anything about it really, no part of it stuck with me
I almost feel like the reason the factory is more minimalistic because the whole point is that it it’s making something out of nothing, it must be believed to be seen
I thought the first act was great - and having the first act not include the factory worked for me fine. Aside from some sets feeling lacking, I was satisfied. Then act 2 happened. The factory was just so boring. The Wonka actor was really great, and the rest of the cast were good too. But I went to the show to see a whimsical factory with great effects and hilarious Oompa Loompas. But the Oompa’s - which I didn’t mind being robots - were rather dull in choreography. And sets in the factory just resorted to small physical sets, and mainly projections. And so many projections made myself feel nauseous. And I’ve never felt nauseous watching a show before. Plus the projections just looked so cheap and unrealistic - and it didn’t look like an artistic choice of visuals, just cheap visuals. I’m glad other people feel the same. I initially saw positive reviews from critics and others who saw the show, and then was confused when I found it so dull. Hopefully some day someone can take the best aspects of all three variations of this show and finally create the perfect production of the story.
We agree and disagree, but I love your channel and totally respect your reviews, never wanted to see this show, and glad i never have. Ps. I'm not a betting guy, but I've just won £200 betting Aspects of love would close early 😊
My first encounter with this touring production in Manchester left me with mixed emotions. The decision to utilize the Broadway score and script instead of the familiar West End version, which had become deeply ingrained in my mind thanks to the London cast recording, created a disconnect for me. I decided to give the production another chance, catching a performance in Liverpool last night. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed once again. The stage design, devoid of imagination and visual appeal, failed to capture the essence of Wonka's fantastical world, leaving me feeling disengaged from the spectacle unfolding before me. Unable to bear the lackluster presentation any longer, my companion and I decided to leave the theater shortly after the interval. The visual boredom and uninspired set design had completely dampened our enthusiasm for the performance. I can't help but hold out hope for a revival that honors the original West End version, restoring the iconic score, script, and set design that truly captured the essence of Willy Wonka's extraordinary world.
I’ll say this much, the first half of the movie is pretty much the same time wise. The chocolate factory half is actually the shorter end of the movie and always felt a little rushed to me.
I saw the US tour in the before-times. Oof! It seemed like they were trying to blend the Wilder/Depp screen interpretations--without success. A forgettable evening of theatre. I only remember laughing at Mrs. Teevee's line about "Mommy water." Nothing else was remotely funny. So many bad choices by the creatives. The doomed kids were played by adult actors, but the choreographer seemed to have forgotten that Veruca is a child in the story, and ballet as a style was a bad, bad, horrible choice. As satisfying as it was to see Veruca torn apart by squirrels, watching the choreo for that scene was highly uncomfortable, like watching a "Me Too" moment play out.
I saw the show last night and enjoyed it - but having seen videos of the West End and Broadway run I will say some of the changes weren’t good - I love the song Believed To Be Seen but this new version ruined it by messing with the staging, lyrics, and tempo. Also definitely agree with the lack of visuals during the exposition, have the ensemble do something there! Gareth Snook as Wonka was amazing, as was the little girl I saw as Charlie. I felt underwhelmed by the other kid characters (Veruca wasn’t nearly dislikable enough Imo), they were shown up by Charlie! I do like that they kept View From Up Here from Broadway while putting Pure Imagination elsewhere)
Some great performances and great moments, but overall an incredible dissapointment and I felt like for the ticket prive I was ripped off, because the production may have been much lower budget but my ticket was still £50 and I was at the back
Great review mate, had reservations about booking this for the family don't think I'll bother now, the points you made would frustrate the hell out of me😅
Even if you can't get the paper airplane to fly to the back of the theatre you should at least be able to get it to fly offstage. How else did Wonka get ahold of it? Break into his house and steal it?
Went to see this in Cardiff. Has to be the worse musical I’ve ever seen. I’ve never felt so bored before. Which is shame because the cast clearly worked hard for such a lack lustre show.
I likely wouldn’t have enjoyed this as a musical, I couldn’t get on board for the film. The entire premise always gave me the creeps, like a kid friendly version of Stephen King’s IT. I could never shake the idea of Willy Wonka just being a psychopath that uses his chocolate factory to lure and murder children for the fun of it and under the guise of teaching children moral lessons. Oof.
Ive only seen this show in Australia during the 2019 run which I believe was just a Broadway replica version, so watching your review and slowly realising how much was changed was certainly something. I'm fond of this musical to be honest but this version does sound like a bit of a disappointment... I do agree w the casting of adults as the other children! I think it's very funny and means the audience doesn't feel so bad when they die, right? Lol. I have no words for the robot oompas though...
I saw the original in London, and I wasn't really impressed with it (a fair few of the songs were dull, which was super sad). The acting was fine, and some of the kids really stood out. I was tempted to see the tour when it comes local, but based on a few reviews i've seen, I don't think its worth the money sadly.
Saw a version of the show in London a long time ago Can’t remember when it was or what it was about It seems weird that there’s no factory scenes until act 2. I think I would be bored by then and walk out early 😂
Yes… They do a mix between the 2 productions like having Queen of pop and It’s Teavee time but they also have new things like the new Violet Beauregard exit song You got whatcha want
I saw it at the New Wimbledon Theatre on June 22, and I didn´t have the same experience you had, is unfortunate you found so many elements you disliked, for me the Set was fantastic, the costumes, the performances, I found it super creative how they navigate through the different rooms of the factory, yes, act 1 serves to introduce all the different characters, and act 2 is a colorful extravaganza that is such a huge contrast to act one,The elevator at the end didn´t bother me at all. this revival is definitely non-replica to the original version (which didn´t get me as engaged as this production). I just hope everyone goes to see it and have their own experience without feeling a pre-set opinion by this review.
The act break thing is exactly how I felt about James And The Giant Peach: The Musical. The kid doesn't even walk into the damn peach until the end of act one. So much time is wasted doing shtick with the evil aunts and forming an audience relationship with them as opposed to the bugs, the characters fans of the book were there to see. The pacing was completely off. For some reason this other Roald Dahl-interpreted musical also didn't seem to understand what story it should be focused on. I will at least give James credit for a good score, though, which I think Charlie lacked. They were all forgettable except for those they recycled from the movie
In the US verison the kids actually die! Veruca is ripped apart on stage - I personally do not like this. Wonka is unhinged but not evil - plus, from what I've seen the musical downplays Wonka's bond with Charlie which makes the searching for the successor bit a little anticlimactic. The costumes and actors are great, though!
What confused me was why they made willy wonka more scruffy looking with long hair and beard when he was always tidy and clean shaven also replacing oompaloompas to robots
The Willy Wonka beard I think is because in the books he has a beard like that And the Oompa Loompas being robots I think is because now the Oompas are a more controversial figure now for not saying racist and in the story kinda make sense
One thing I disagree with you is I think the big sets take away from the actors sometimes we are a country who are happy to put out with things like pantomimes and things that don't exist we kind of used to it oh so when you don't have to be sets something happens something weird and that is something called compromisation other things compromise for that lack of big sets better songs better acting it's like a blind person we better hearing because they can't see so it compromises same stage shows and TV it definitely happens on audio dramas
I missed this show on Broadway but I saw the American tour and it sounds like the same production they are touring over there. My same thoughts were as yours, such a heavy reliance on video screens and not even that beautifully done at all. I really enjoy the music and story from the original film but this production was a disappointment. Let’s hope Timothy Chalamet will bring us more magical musical Wonka adventure coming soon to the cinema!
I seen the show in April, and was very disappointed with it. As a birthday trip, it felt as though I had wasted both time and money on a production that was both flat, and incredibly underfunded. I thought the cast was fantastic but, unfortunately, this particular take on the story was a slight let down!
I've not seen this production..as I hated the original. But do you think the lack of set etc is the director literally saying to the audience "use your own imagination". You know make so each member of the audience can fill in the gaps and make ot as fantastical as they like....or am I thinking to much into it.? Lol
I've seen a show with just 4 ropes a captain's chair and a bit of smoke on stage but I could see the entire ship and the ice around it because the production and the atmosphere was there, my Imagination failed to see past the video screen with its fantastically drawn elevator, not the glass one at this point, with the actors stood behind a door, flying through a factory that was drawn with the graphic ability of me. so really bad.! you didn't get the chance to fill in the blanks as they were filled with with.... really trying to find a word to fit here.. use you imagination to fill in a bad word here :)
I'm not saying that what you're saying is wrong I think it's right I think it does sound quite poor the way you're describing it I haven't seen this version the American version good but what you're describing seems like it's even worse than the American version I am not sure if Ellie feels the same about this I thought she gave it a good review
I disagree I like the songs like the veruca song both very and it must be a belief to be seen and not forgetting I want a golden ticket and if you pinch with Charlie those are good songs as well
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‼️I played Charlie in the musicals Australian national tour. The musical was simply different; it was a slightly modified version of the broadway script that our Australian actors brought to such life. I remember specifically a few little scenes and lines that were interpreted by our team with such subtlety and black comedy that on most nights we were getting standing ovations mid show - multiple times. Honestly I believe that this show is its best when you let the actors run a little wild - it’s how Roald Dahl was thinking when he put the madness into words - and it’s what makes it’s key concepts of madness, hope, and irony, shine. Even the brothers themselves (broadway writers) said to us that we turned their script into something they never expected - and they said it was the best version of the show they’d done. I wish for larger productions to be treated more like a small team sharing a piece of madness with the world - not an industrial ticketing machine.
My non-musical theatre brother who loves the original film went with his girlfriend to see this in Cardiff a few months back - he loved it. He was blown away by all of the effects and the actor who played Wonka. I think he fits in the category of casual person who loves the original who was curious, but he loved it
I'm so disappointed that they kept the change of Charlie's father being gone - i guess it makes sense for the smaller cast but i think If Your Mother Were Here is a much better, more nuanced, and more tragic than If Your Father Were Here. The idea that both parents are alive and want to be there but can't because they BOTH have to work so much and still be so poor is a much more interesting take on the class politics than just 'she's a widow :((((('
I haven’t seen the show myself, but I’m utterly baffled that you don’t even get into the factory until essentially act 2! I appreciate that its difficult to find an interval point in the material, but i would be so disappointed if id bought tickets to see the show, and the whole of act 1 is just the build up as you described.
The book and movie is essentially two parts though - before they enter the factory, and inside the factory. It makes sense for the interval to be between the two parts, especially as you meet Wonka outside at the end of the first act and it builds the excitement of 'follow me inside' as the interval starts. The problem is all the good stuff is in the second part. I agree the first act drags out far too long though.
I saw the show in London years ago, and it took for ever. They spent the entire first act introducing all the kids. I get how it is built and why they do it, but the first act dragged.
I’m confused as to how else it would be? The story is split into two parts. Before and after the factory! Y’all complain about anything.
Literally every version is like this
Even the 1971 version, the one everybody loves, we don’t even get into the factory until halfway into the film
I saw it last night and every time the 'Oompa Loompas' came out, they kept on reminding me of the Wheelers in Return to Oz! 😭😭 If I was a child in that audience I would've been crying!
See Return to Oz managed to bypass me completely as a child, I was getting Cybermen 😅
@@MickeyJoTheatre Ooo yeah Cybermen are a good shout too, the masks were very similar 😭
I didn't mind the Oompa Loompas being the kind of cyberpunk robot that they were and definitely looked like the were from Oz, with a 1966 cyberman costume budget, but they came on very mechanical and then as soon as their entrance was over they went out of character, lost all the robotic feel and played basketball with the fluidity of a T-1000. well not quiet lol
I saw it last Christmas and thought it was really quite poor. I’m seeing Oliver at the playhouse in a month so I really hope they redeem themselves!
They done replaced weird funny elves/singing midgets with Creepy AI. (Ironic caue there was an willy Wonka AI Fiasco). 👀
If I recall correctly, Amelia Minto is actually from Leeds herself so that’s why she has the northern accent. I saw her in late December and she was phenomenal!!
Saw this in Leeds and I just think Amelia Minto was absolutely fantastic. Her voice just completely blew me away, she will definitely go on to be a star
No one can prepare the audience for when she sings the second half of Almost Nearly Perfect. She’s so talented!
Amelia Minto was my aunties best friends little girl I get to see her more than often
Yes that's the charlie we seen in Edinburgh too she was so incredible. She is a future Zizi Strallen
I thought the adults playing the bad kids did perfectly well in this production, but I'm also kind of old school and preferred the West End approach of having them be played by real children. The argument that it provides more of a contrast to Charlie's innocence is all well and good, but I think it's way more hilarious when you have that degree of vehemence/attitude coming out of an actual child - particularly with Mike and Veruca. Still, I appreciate that it maybe isn't so practical from a touring perspective to have five cast members constantly having to be switched out.
PS: Mrs Teavee has always been the unsung MVP of this musical.
I agree
Surely an interval would have worked after one of the kids 'disappearing' (e.g. augustus or verucca). Song that builds suspense, kid dissapears, drop curtain? But then it sounded pretty anti-climatic so maybe not 😂
No I think this is a great idea! After Augustus specifically I think is probably a great place for it.
I believe the intermission for the Broadway version was right after they entered the factory.
@@IWillBeHerswho even knows? In NY we didn’t see the factory in Act 1, one, but we didn’t see the factory in Act 2 either 😂
@@yayshowvids6427 Was it the national Tour you saw, or the Broadway production? Cause having seen the bootleg for both, I can attest that they do have a model design for the factory at the front doors, and then a miniature scale model during "The View from Here" just below Wonka and Charlie aboard the Great Glass Elevator.
Either way, I'm admittedly not impressed with the basic large one pillar rectangular building design they had for portraying the Chocolate Factory in either the Broadway/Tour Versions, nor the(from a distance) simple roundish design of the factory in the West End production either.
(Even the "small scale metropolis" with a top hat shaped water tower on the side in the later Broadway/Australian national tours feels uninspired to me personally)
Of all the designs of the factory period(including the Gene Wilder Factory design), I believe Tim Burton's design for the factory(for the 2005 film) is the most intriguing and eye catching. With the way the large funnel stands as the tallest structure, and the flowing symmetry of the warehouses and smaller roofed towers surrounding it, all with large yet detailed splashes of grey to both hide the colors of Wonka's imagination inside and also to stand as it's own distinguished structure in the story(much like The Haunted Mansion in Disneyland California, or The Hollywood Tower Hotel in both Florida and Paris, or even Hotel Hightower in Tokyo Disney Sea(ignoring the gaping structures blown out by the lighting[where you see the elevator shafts that open up to reveal the riders inside as they drop]).
It's no wonder they referenced the design(while having it also be Wonka's Head and Hat when turned left sideways) in the logo for the show, and I really hoped they would've consistently referenced that design in the silhouettes of the factory in both the West End and Broadway runs.
I thought it was strange that the whole first act centres around the Bucket family having no money and no chance of affording a chocolate bar, but when Charlie comes back with a golden ticket, nobody seems to question it
Grandpa Joe stole it
Kinda weird that they didn't go with one of the versions from the movies. In the 1971 version, they establish that the family scrapes together what money they can to buy Charlie a chocolate bar for his birthday-- and I think they do the same in the remake, and they also establish that the 1971 Charlie has a job as a newspaper delivery boy, and he chooses to buy a Wonka candy with the money he gets paid, and when he sees he has some left over, he buys a regular Wonka bar that ends up containing the golden ticket (right after establishing that the person who "found" the last ticket was lying). In the remake, Charlie finds money lying on the ground and uses it to buy the Wonka bar, thus discovering the golden ticket, rushes home and while his family is excited over this news, Charlie - being the Christlike saint he is, immediately says that they should sell the ticket because the money they could get from it would be enough to buy them actual food so they're not living solely on cabbage soup (and, it's been awhile since I've seen the remake, but I feel like there's also an underlying implication that if they sold the last golden ticket for a fortune, there's a possibility they would be able to lift themselves out of poverty).
(This is neither here nor there, but one of the things that bother me about the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake - beside it being posited as the superior version because "it follows closer to the book", is the way they portray Charlie Buckett as this perfect, selfless child who is constantly sacrificing his own happiness for his family, is optimistic to a fault, and is just so pure and wonderful that he manages to fix the lives of all the adults around him because he's this magical saint of a child. It's saccharine to the point of obnoxiousness. I like that 1971 Charlie Buckett is a bit selfish and pessimistic sometimes. It makes sense because he's this kid with no father-- I think it's implied that his father may have passed away, his mother has to take odd jobs to help support his four elderly, sickly grandparents, and he's had to get a job himself to literally help support his family to barely keep a roof over their head and food on their table. He's had to grow up pretty quickly because of his predicament, but seeing him use his pay to buy himself candy - even though he knows he should be giving it to his mother to help support his family, reminds us that he's still just a kid. Sometimes kids can be self-centered, but we can rationalize that Charlie deserves to have childish/childlike moments because we see from his actions that he still deeply loves and cares about his family and he also will do the right thing such as returning the Everlasting Gobstopper to Wonka instead of following Uncle Joe's suggestion of selling it to Slugworth. 1971 Charlie Buckett is setup as a better underdog because he already has a difficult life and has so much to lose if he doesn't win the contest - again, before finding out Slugworth works for Wonka and believing him to be a sleazy competitor, Charlie gives up his chance at a fortune by returning his Gobstopper. Remake Charlie, although he lives in poverty, still has both of his parents as well as his grandparents, and can so easily walk away from being Wonka's chosen heir with no remorse because he has a loving family that he's not going to abandon because he had that unconditional familial love and support Wonka never had growing up - which even that I found to be weird unnecessary conflict for Wonka in the remake. Like, really? All this is because Daddy didn't love you? Okay... I preferred it when Wonka was kept mysterious and you didn't know his motivations or reasoning for the things he did. I can perfectly accept that he became a chocolatier/candy maker because he loved it and it brought him joy. Adding "oh it's really because he has all this unresolved trauma as a result of his overly strict dentist father"... it's just tired.)
and Charlie is wearing an expensive LGBT sweatshirt, bearing in mind they're in poverty
@@cameronclarkhullMaybe they found it in the dumpster because some bigot parent threw it away.
I saw the show on Broadway in 2018 with my mom and aunt. Christian Borle played Willy Wonka. We thought it was brilliant. We laughed so much and after the show was over, we agreed that we could have stayed in our seats and watched the show all over again. I was sad that the show didn’t last long.
True that it didn't have a long run. John Rubenstein was the grandpa.
Christian Borle is amazing in most everything. Loved his Shakespeare in something rotten. Saw the show four times because I brought friends and family to see it
US tour of the Broadway version came through my last year. If I was a kid and saw that show I would've been so traumatized. Veruca is carried off stage by the squirrels, they bring a dummy back onstage and rip it into pieces. Absolutely horrifying. Its also implied Violet also dies - her father comes on after chasing the ball version of her covered in like blueberry guts. The Oopma Loompas were downright terrifying. Puppets with the adult chorus' faces and hair and they used their hands to control the feet with extra sets of hands being the hands when the choreography got more complex.
It feels like they're laughing EVILY in shadows while the Tom Burton movie is blamed for being dark
My biggest issue with this show when I saw it in Cardiff is that the wow factor of seeing the factory for the first time cannot be translated on the stage the way it was in the film and the way it was described in the book. The screen projections didn’t have nearly the same magic and it felt very anti climactic
I totally agree! Seen this in Edinburgh and I had been so looking forward to it but left feeling a tad underwhelmed and disappointed! I did love Charlie and I also really like how the mum character used BSL throughout. Something I think we should see more of on the stage !
When I saw this in Leeds there's a bit where Veruca gets out of the bin and runs back up the stairs to where everyone else is standing and then for some reason runs back down the stairs and gets back in the bin. That bothered me
The same scene you mention was in the Sunderland version when I went to see it on Thursday.
The first half of the 1971 film before they enter the factory is fantastic; there are countless funny lines and scenes as people go to extreme lengths to try and find the tickets. However, a large part of why it works so well is because it is acted and shot in a very realistic, straightforward manner. This makes scenes of a woman debating whether to give up her case of Wonka Bars as ransom to get her husband back or a man arguing with a machine he made to tell him where the golden tickets are hidden much funnier than if they'd been played too over-the-top. I can imagine it would be hard to translate this vibe to a musical comedy stage show with big cheesy sets and overly campy performances
13:49 Since this came before the section discussing them, I was super confused as to why the Oompa Loompas designed to look like mechanical robots... but I was *more* confused about why is the makeup job on the one on the right not even as finished as the others???
The projection screens are just becoming the go to way to create musicals with spectacle instead of using props like the wizard of oz at the palladium, haven't seen it but am seeing it when it tours, from some of the videos I've seen they also rely on projections and I miss the elaborate sets
Disappointed that the disco bop ‘Juicy’ was dropped from this revival 😢
I believe I was at the same performance as you! I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. I was so underwhelmed and rather disappointed, and everything you mention I agree with 100%! Especially the chocolate room, Veruca’s scene and all of the projection. I was also disappointed that we didn’t get the ‘I’ve got a golden ticket’ song from the 1971 film. I’ve already forgotten all the songs. Such a shame!
I saw this when it was touring in Philadelphia and...it certainly was an experience. I think when they were doing bows, the guy playing Willy Wonka said that if we didn't like the show to say we saw Wicked 😆
Are you serious?
@@ChienaAvtzonyes! I couldn't believe it!
@@sarahbeeee - Must have been an inside joke, due to how reviled the show was on Broadway. Have not seen it myself, but everyone I know who saw it, absolutely hated it.
Glad to hear your thoughts. We saw it in Milton Keynes and were really disappointed. I was left feeling 'meh' at the interval, and then so let down by the chocolate room 'reveal' as the act two opener. We sat in the stalls and couldn't see any floor projections so there was almost nothing to look at as the actors wandered around an empty stage in fake awe! Such a shame. Our Charlie was great, though, and we enjoyed the casual use of BSL in the bucket household too.
I saw the original in the west end you're talking about seven or eight years ago now. I only went because my uni at the time were doing trips to see a musical, this is what was chosen and for 25 quid a ticket in the stalls I wasnt complaining.
To this day I still think this is the most FUN musical I've seen, it definitely wasn't my favourite and I don't remember some of the things that happened but it was fun.
I also think what helped were the songs; I was never the biggest fan of the original movie with Gene Wilder so I wasn't too fussed about the music in it. My favourite new song would either be the one with Prince Pondicherry or Don'tcha pinch me Charlie. I'm sure the Grandpa Joe I saw was Nigel Planer
Juicy was one of my favorites when I saw the show. But I indeed agree that the show was very fun.
weird thing about the paper plane even the american tours had it to flying
I already heard how bad when it was before I saw it in New York, but I was not prepared that we would open Act 2 to a big reveal of… absolutely nothing. When they got to the Chocolate River, and someone just pushed out a table with a small scale model chocolate river that the “kids” climbed up onto and “played” in (so, several grown people trying to perch onto the edges of a small table and pretend to be awed) - that may have been the biggest cringe I’ve ever felt at a theatrical production. To me, nothing in theater has ever felt like as much of a pure cash grab as luring people in with the promise of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, and then NOT bothering to create it.
I thought exactly the same things myself (haven't seen the original production to compare) so specifically looked to see if you'd reviewed it to find that you essentially voiced my own internal review (in a much more entertaining way! 😉) I love it when that happens! ❤ Also your chocolate break made me chuckle 🍫😛
I am a bit confused by the kids being killed thing as in the book and film i didn't think any of them died just had to live with whatever thing has afflicted them while on the tour of the factory (all a result of their own reckless actions of course.) Not seen the show yet but have tickets for later this year. Oh well at least my expectations have been lowered so maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. Act 1 does sound rather boring though.
In the book Charlie does just find the money and buys a chocolate bar so that sounds more like the original source material to me. I don't remember any agonising over whether to buy food for his family or the chocolate but it has been a while since i read the book.
Although i like the 2 films I enjoyed the book more. Also I am from Birmingham and going to see the show here. I know the original inspiration for the book was the Cadbury chocolate factory in Bournville in Birmingham so to me it feels like chocolate is coming home.
Yeah, Charlie find the money and buys the candy
I saw the US Tour with a heavily discounted ticket and it was strangely terrible.
It was definitely one of the weakest shows I’ve ever seen, for sure one of the dumbest set designs.
@@IWillBeHers I feel bad for saying it, but I remember very little from it because it was just there. It was something I went and saw that left no mark on me whatsoever. I remember more about eating at Denneys afterwards and then going to see the Donna Summer Musical a few days later.
@@devinblackwood5885 I saw School of Rock maybe a month later and to my surprise enjoyed it much, much more than Charlie.
me too!! i thought it was ok, not the strongest musical ive seen, even on tour.
omg I was waiting for you to do a video on this!
I'm an absolutely massive fan of the musical in general (I prefer the Broadway version because I'm a simp for I've Got a Golden Ticket and Candy Man and I love Wonka in disguise in the first act lol, but I know a lot of people prefer the original West End version. My actual favourite is the Australian production because I just adore the cast so much 😭). I was so incredibly excited to finally see a live production for real but it definitely was disappointing in a lot of ways. I agree with you on a lot of stuff.
Even though you mention mostly the set being disappointing, the music and the performances were what truly made me feel meh about it. :( You're totally right about how they could have been much more inventive with the staging though. I think the Broadway / Australian productions also had that problem with literal bare bones set but I feel like they kinda made up for it a lot with the performances / how funny and punchy the show was.
Maybe this is harsh but the orchestration in the UK tour ver. sounded so lacklustre and slow compared to other productions and there were parts of songs that were completely cut (noticeably, the kids songs), and other random musical pieces shoehorned in at other moments that just kinda messed up the flow and pacing of the whole thing imo. Also I was really disappointed that they included Dont'cha Pinch Me Charlie from the OG West End soundtrack but not Simply Second Nature instead of Pure Imagination, which was such a missed opportunity. The arrangement for It Must Be Believed To Be Seen was also super weird and dragging and that song is like,,, the hook of the show from a fans perspective lmao.
Maybe it was just the theatre I saw it at as well, and the sound mixing / mic volumes were super bad, but I could barely understand some of the actors at times, like they weren't projecting enough? Probably a nitpick though.
BUT Gareth Snook was a great Wonka and very fun to watch. And ofc the costumes and set were gorgeous. 🥺 Also female Charlie has my whole entire heart and I will protect her until my death.
Anyway, sorry for the essay 💀 I could literally talk about it for days but infodump over. Just wanted to give my thoughts as a long time fan of the show. Great video! 😊 It was really great to hear what you thought. Thanks so much for covering this Mickey-Jo
Interesting, I was really looking forward to seeing it at the Mayflower…I’ll still see it as I never saw the original but interesting you were disappointed… what would you have given the original production?
Difficult to say as it was so long ago and I wasn't really approaching it with a critical mindset but it was still not perfectly executed - probably a 3 or 4.
I saw it in the American tour and veruca was covertly replaced with a prop mid dance and then you see her torn limb from limb before you realize the swap. Spectacular my mother and I burst out laughing from the horror and the little kid two seats over started crying.
I went into this production really wanting to enjoy it but I unfortunately didn't. I felt Gareth Snook's interpretation of Wonka was more angry than unhinged and charmingly wacky, especially in the verses added in 'It Must Be Believed To Be Seen' when he grabs Mike by the scruff of the neck.
I don't know how it was at other venues but I was so disappointed that the production had the same issue Broadway had with the pure reliance on screens and projections. It took so much charm out of it, particularly as The Chocolate Room should be a set that makes the audience go 'wow' and when it's all done on a screen, it just makes you go '...oh'. However, I did particularly like the screens being utilised to bring set pieces together, with the best example being The Nut Room.
Although I never got to see it, I think the original London Production will always be the best version of this Musical and I think it probably would have been best to just bring that back as the effects in that, along with the comedic look of the Oompa-Loompas (which had all the life and fun sucked out of them in the form of robots) and beautiful sets.
i personally disagree with having wonka in a hidden role at the start because it makes it feel like he's choosing and guiding charlie but... why kill 4 other kids if you've already chosen charlie?
Thank you for putting my feelings about the show into words! I was very disappointed by the set design in the second act, too. (Spoiler: As I was in The Wizard of Oz). But I very much appreciated the gender-neutral casting of Charlie and I think the usage of sign language was a nice choice. Although it might have come across a bit gimmicky at times.
I’ve got to say, I really didn’t like that in this adaptation it is obvious that Veruca and Violet both die from what happens to them. Whereas in the movie ,and I believe in the original novel, all the children are intended to survive, if somewhat altered. The fact that they both die, and Willy Wonka kind of blows it off, makes him seem more dangerously psychotic rather than than charming and mischievous.
In this production they included some dialogue during the glass elevator sequence where Charlie asks about the other kids and Wonka assures him/her that they are all still alive (if not exactly the same). You still only have Wonka's word to go on, but if you prefer to think of them as all having survived then you do have a much bigger out than before. Tbh, I think it was always meant to be ambiguous, and you could have it either way, although in the case of Veruca I don't think they originally did enough to incorporate the possibility she might have survived (your only out was Charlie's refusal to believe anything truly nasty had really happened). And as much as I love the West End version, I didn't feel even they were able to work the ambiguity to the show's advantage - Mike is the only bad kid who gets a clear resolution, and his exit is easily the strongest.
I think there was a originally a strike that reversed it where we would see the kids out of the factory but they end up eliminating it so now is more implied that Augustus, Violet and Veruca are death
You're right that the original book (and also the Burton film) make it very clear the kids are alive but changed by their experience, it's only the Wilder version that doesn't show them, because he's the only Wonka who is clearly presented as untrustworthy, but even he says the children are alive and will be their usual, unpleasant selves in time, so you can read it that way.
I do love that they carried that malicious side of Wonka over into this performance (Gareth Snook understood the assignment and nailed it, all the actors were amazing really), but it's clear they originally intended the kids to die. Having Oompa Loompas waving cleavers with Augustus, Violet exploding against the glass and Wonka acknowledging that Verruca will probably burn alive are hard to read any other way. The version I saw today had a lot of lines where Wonka says things like "she'll be her normal self...more or less" and "they're on their way home now" and it's such a huge contrast to what is actually seen that I have a feeling they had to backpedal because they were getting too grim.
Also some of the kids didn't feel like they deserved their fates so much here; Augustus was pretty happy and nice up to the river part, so it felt really out of left field suddenly having him be whisked off to be chopped up into chunks of fudge. You want the kids to be full on nasty little brats to sell this kind of plot.
The New Wimbledon run has been fraught with problems. They even had to cancel a few performances because of the heat. It’s a shame really because the cast are so talented. Especially Lydia Brad!
Back when I saw this a few years ago, this was the first time I realised shows could be bad
Best opening line ever. Fight me, nobody.
Nothing beats the OG West End
So happy I found your channel, I love your content. I've been in deep denial about my theatre kid side for nearly a decade now but you're making me say omg hey to her again
Completely agree, I saw in Leeds.
It must be believed to be seen had my head in my hands, which is such a shame considering thats the strongest song in the broadway version.
Violets death was so so so so awful, that silly little beach ball was so embarrassing.
Thought performances were wonderful - especially Grandpa Joe
Amazing review
saw this in its original Leeds playhouse run- talent wise, it was fantastic. shout-out to amelia minto and the actors playing augustus, violet and mikes mum in particular. but it just lacks the set and design we'd expect tbh.
I get all your points but I still really enjoyed it! Only thing I didn't like was the adults playing the kids! I thought Gareth Snook was much better than the London leads!x
I agree, I didn’t hate the adult kids as much as I should (I remember feeling slightly sorry for Veruca, which shouldn’t be the case!)
This is so interesting because this sounds so much like the let down I had seeing the Australian version a few years back. It did not live up to the movie - though, at least we had like one small set piece with the screens. Disappointing. I think it was the same year we got Aladdin, so comparing that to the Cave of Wonders...
I'm still waiting for one of these Willy Wonka musicals to use Danny Elfman's songs
Why wouldn’t they end act one after they enter the spectacular chocolate room and do a big ‘happy ending number’ as the kids and parent are wowed by and enjoy the incredible room. Then act 2 opens as darkness begins to invade the musical. At least some of act 2 gets moved to act 1, even if it isn’t a lot.
For me, the best actors were Veruca and Oleg. Loved the accent, loved the ballet aspect, and Veruca’s demise(and the fact she yelled for help despite being torn apart implies that this girl be so rich she can’t die. She’s like Kenny from South Park, but mean and rich.) Emma Pfaeffel did great as Veruca.
Really feels like they were 'restrained' by the budget, as opposed to emphasizing the creativity of the 'lack' of budget.
Though I'll note, knowing how expensive animation and graphic design is, the 'savings' were probably less to do with the cost of the tech itself, and more the cost of shipping and setting everything up.
This reminds me of the Broadway Spongebob musical where practically all of the stage was made of discarded junk and refuse, or at least really cheap plastic stuff, and the costumes were over the top with Mr. Crabs just wearing these giant boxing gloves.
That had so much fun creativity and amusement with what's effectively the same budget and a fraction of the technology (not a traveling musical yes but with that kind of creativity I can imagine them finding a way to shrink it down).
Also, still think the robots were a bit... *naff*, like it really felt like some SteamPunk fan's first costume project. The Oompa Loompas were practically small clowns that ran across the stage that you could do fun things with with... well.. *creativity*. Which is kind of why I think the robots was less of a 'for political correctness reasons' and more for a 'we just didn't know how to depict short people'.
Either way, it really looks like set production just let the whole thing down.
I felt the same about Jersry Boys.. By the end of Act One, we'd only had their first 3 hits.. Consequently, the other 20 or so had to be crammed into the 2nd Act in very short snips of a chorus here & there.
TONY'S sea salt caramel!! My fave chocolate bar!!
i actually loved the oompaloompas being robots-
Why did the first act not end after “Pure Imagination”? Since, that song is the introduction of the Wonka Chocolate Factory.
As much as I adore the Gene Wilder “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, the stage show just seemed like a cheap knockoff, attempting to bank on the “Matilda the Musical” acclaim. Which is why I was not surprised when it underperformed on Broadway.
I saw the US touring production a few years back and I was definetly underwhelmed. Although, I was terrified of the movie and storyline as a kid so I might have been biased to begin with.
I actually really quite liked this LOL. I liked the projection screen and the props in act 2. 😂
I’ve been waiting for this review!!!
It sounds like the mikhail chekhov imagination in theatre but the director doesn't know how to achieve it or to interpret it to the cast xx
Umpa lumpas where very scary for the youngsters but they didn't seem to mind at all.
I saw the original westend run and I don’t remember thinking it was bad but I also just don’t remember anything about it really, no part of it stuck with me
I almost feel like the reason the factory is more minimalistic because the whole point is that it it’s making something out of nothing, it must be believed to be seen
I am impressed with this young mans skill at reviewing .. It's very detailed and honest with his reasons why
Ooooft the pacman error gives me the ick
I thought the first act was great - and having the first act not include the factory worked for me fine. Aside from some sets feeling lacking, I was satisfied. Then act 2 happened.
The factory was just so boring. The Wonka actor was really great, and the rest of the cast were good too. But I went to the show to see a whimsical factory with great effects and hilarious Oompa Loompas. But the Oompa’s - which I didn’t mind being robots - were rather dull in choreography. And sets in the factory just resorted to small physical sets, and mainly projections. And so many projections made myself feel nauseous. And I’ve never felt nauseous watching a show before. Plus the projections just looked so cheap and unrealistic - and it didn’t look like an artistic choice of visuals, just cheap visuals.
I’m glad other people feel the same. I initially saw positive reviews from critics and others who saw the show, and then was confused when I found it so dull. Hopefully some day someone can take the best aspects of all three variations of this show and finally create the perfect production of the story.
We agree and disagree, but I love your channel and totally respect your reviews, never wanted to see this show, and glad i never have.
Ps. I'm not a betting guy, but I've just won £200 betting Aspects of love would close early 😊
My first encounter with this touring production in Manchester left me with mixed emotions. The decision to utilize the Broadway score and script instead of the familiar West End version, which had become deeply ingrained in my mind thanks to the London cast recording, created a disconnect for me. I decided to give the production another chance, catching a performance in Liverpool last night. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed once again. The stage design, devoid of imagination and visual appeal, failed to capture the essence of Wonka's fantastical world, leaving me feeling disengaged from the spectacle unfolding before me. Unable to bear the lackluster presentation any longer, my companion and I decided to leave the theater shortly after the interval. The visual boredom and uninspired set design had completely dampened our enthusiasm for the performance. I can't help but hold out hope for a revival that honors the original West End version, restoring the iconic score, script, and set design that truly captured the essence of Willy Wonka's extraordinary world.
I’ll say this much, the first half of the movie is pretty much the same time wise. The chocolate factory half is actually the shorter end of the movie and always felt a little rushed to me.
i saw the us tour, front row. even in that, i remember that the paper airplane flew offstage. there is no excuse for them to cheap out like that.
I saw the US tour in the before-times. Oof! It seemed like they were trying to blend the Wilder/Depp screen interpretations--without success. A forgettable evening of theatre. I only remember laughing at Mrs. Teevee's line about "Mommy water." Nothing else was remotely funny. So many bad choices by the creatives.
The doomed kids were played by adult actors, but the choreographer seemed to have forgotten that Veruca is a child in the story, and ballet as a style was a bad, bad, horrible choice. As satisfying as it was to see Veruca torn apart by squirrels, watching the choreo for that scene was highly uncomfortable, like watching a "Me Too" moment play out.
I saw the show last night and enjoyed it - but having seen videos of the West End and Broadway run I will say some of the changes weren’t good - I love the song Believed To Be Seen but this new version ruined it by messing with the staging, lyrics, and tempo. Also definitely agree with the lack of visuals during the exposition, have the ensemble do something there!
Gareth Snook as Wonka was amazing, as was the little girl I saw as Charlie. I felt underwhelmed by the other kid characters (Veruca wasn’t nearly dislikable enough Imo), they were shown up by Charlie!
I do like that they kept View From Up Here from Broadway while putting Pure Imagination elsewhere)
also he did have someone drop the money and wasnt wonka and charlie still spent it on chocolate in the original production
Some great performances and great moments, but overall an incredible dissapointment and I felt like for the ticket prive I was ripped off, because the production may have been much lower budget but my ticket was still £50 and I was at the back
MickeyJo: they decided to put the interval right before they go into the factory for the first time
Me: 🤨
Great review mate, had reservations about booking this for the family don't think I'll bother now, the points you made would frustrate the hell out of me😅
I saw it at Birmingham in the hippodrome
Even if you can't get the paper airplane to fly to the back of the theatre you should at least be able to get it to fly offstage. How else did Wonka get ahold of it? Break into his house and steal it?
Went to see this in Cardiff. Has to be the worse musical I’ve ever seen. I’ve never felt so bored before. Which is shame because the cast clearly worked hard for such a lack lustre show.
Sucked on Broadway. Paid extra to be exact center. Looks like it changed but looks like not for the better
I likely wouldn’t have enjoyed this as a musical, I couldn’t get on board for the film. The entire premise always gave me the creeps, like a kid friendly version of Stephen King’s IT. I could never shake the idea of Willy Wonka just being a psychopath that uses his chocolate factory to lure and murder children for the fun of it and under the guise of teaching children moral lessons. Oof.
Ive only seen this show in Australia during the 2019 run which I believe was just a Broadway replica version, so watching your review and slowly realising how much was changed was certainly something. I'm fond of this musical to be honest but this version does sound like a bit of a disappointment... I do agree w the casting of adults as the other children! I think it's very funny and means the audience doesn't feel so bad when they die, right? Lol. I have no words for the robot oompas though...
I saw the original in London, and I wasn't really impressed with it (a fair few of the songs were dull, which was super sad). The acting was fine, and some of the kids really stood out. I was tempted to see the tour when it comes local, but based on a few reviews i've seen, I don't think its worth the money sadly.
Saw a version of the show in London a long time ago
Can’t remember when it was or what it was about
It seems weird that there’s no factory scenes until act 2. I think I would be bored by then and walk out early 😂
do they perform the west end version or the Broadway version?
Yes…
They do a mix between the 2 productions like having Queen of pop and It’s Teavee time but they also have new things like the new Violet Beauregard exit song You got whatcha want
I saw it at the New Wimbledon Theatre on June 22, and I didn´t have the same experience you had, is unfortunate you found so many elements you disliked, for me the Set was fantastic, the costumes, the performances, I found it super creative how they navigate through the different rooms of the factory, yes, act 1 serves to introduce all the different characters, and act 2 is a colorful extravaganza that is such a huge contrast to act one,The elevator at the end didn´t bother me at all. this revival is definitely non-replica to the original version (which didn´t get me as engaged as this production). I just hope everyone goes to see it and have their own experience without feeling a pre-set opinion by this review.
The act break thing is exactly how I felt about James And The Giant Peach: The Musical. The kid doesn't even walk into the damn peach until the end of act one. So much time is wasted doing shtick with the evil aunts and forming an audience relationship with them as opposed to the bugs, the characters fans of the book were there to see. The pacing was completely off. For some reason this other Roald Dahl-interpreted musical also didn't seem to understand what story it should be focused on.
I will at least give James credit for a good score, though, which I think Charlie lacked. They were all forgettable except for those they recycled from the movie
Awful show, cheap tour. All it is is a touring IP. Good review.
Loved it on BWY
The Melon head infront of you blocked some of curtain call. Hope it wasn't that way for whole show
😂
In the US verison the kids actually die! Veruca is ripped apart on stage - I personally do not like this. Wonka is unhinged but not evil - plus, from what I've seen the musical downplays Wonka's bond with Charlie which makes the searching for the successor bit a little anticlimactic. The costumes and actors are great, though!
What confused me was why they made willy wonka more scruffy looking with long hair and beard when he was always tidy and clean shaven also replacing oompaloompas to robots
The Willy Wonka beard I think is because in the books he has a beard like that
And the Oompa Loompas being robots I think is because now the Oompas are a more controversial figure now for not saying racist and in the story kinda make sense
What did u think of the trailer for the Wonka prequel movie
I am new to your channel. I thought your review very good. Have you any Derren Brown reviews?
I watched this musical back in January and it was excellent, I’m not sure what you went to see 😡
LOL
I saw Frozen at Drury Lane.
One thing I disagree with you is I think the big sets take away from the actors sometimes we are a country who are happy to put out with things like pantomimes and things that don't exist we kind of used to it oh so when you don't have to be sets something happens something weird and that is something called compromisation other things compromise for that lack of big sets better songs better acting it's like a blind person we better hearing because they can't see so it compromises same stage shows and TV it definitely happens on audio dramas
I missed this show on Broadway but I saw the American tour and it sounds like the same production they are touring over there. My same thoughts were as yours, such a heavy reliance on video screens and not even that beautifully done at all. I really enjoy the music and story from the original film but this production was a disappointment. Let’s hope Timothy Chalamet will bring us more magical musical Wonka adventure coming soon to the cinema!
I seen the show in April, and was very disappointed with it. As a birthday trip, it felt as though I had wasted both time and money on a production that was both flat, and incredibly underfunded.
I thought the cast was fantastic but, unfortunately, this particular take on the story was a slight let down!
I think this is the lowest rating I’ve ever seen you give!
I've not seen this production..as I hated the original. But do you think the lack of set etc is the director literally saying to the audience "use your own imagination". You know make so each member of the audience can fill in the gaps and make ot as fantastical as they like....or am I thinking to much into it.? Lol
I've seen a show with just 4 ropes a captain's chair and a bit of smoke on stage but I could see the entire ship and the ice around it because the production and the atmosphere was there, my Imagination failed to see past the video screen with its fantastically drawn elevator, not the glass one at this point, with the actors stood behind a door, flying through a factory that was drawn with the graphic ability of me. so really bad.! you didn't get the chance to fill in the blanks as they were filled with with.... really trying to find a word to fit here.. use you imagination to fill in a bad word here :)
Instead of making a world of imagination they want you to work your imagination in their world
I'm not saying that what you're saying is wrong I think it's right I think it does sound quite poor the way you're describing it I haven't seen this version the American version good but what you're describing seems like it's even worse than the American version I am not sure if Ellie feels the same about this I thought she gave it a good review
I disagree I like the songs like the veruca song both very and it must be a belief to be seen and not forgetting I want a golden ticket and if you pinch with Charlie those are good songs as well
You say squirrels how we say it in America. British people pronounce both Rs and we don't.