CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY - REVIEWS 2025
REVIEWED BY PHIL LOWE - EAST MIDLANDS THEATRE
★★★★★
Earlier this year Nottingham Operatic Society co-presented a five star production of Les Misérables at Nottingham Theatre Royal with two alternating casts of the main principals. From us and from other reviewers locally it got rave reviews. The standard of everything in that production was as close to professional as one could hope for from an amateur company. Some of their cast have subsequently been invited to be part of the Les Misérables 40th Anniversary celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall in November. I imagine they are very proud and, as it happens, some of that same cast are performing in the musical version of ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ at the Theatre Royal this week. We are ‘golden ticket’ lucky to be reviewing it on the very first matinée performance.
‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ is a musical version of Roald Dahl’s super famous book voraciously read by children and adults all over the world. The musical’s book is by David Greig with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The musical is chock (or is that choc?) full of songs – the most well-known ones being ‘The Candy Man’ and ‘Pure Imagination’.
With a tag line of ‘Enter a world of pure imagination’ we sit back and enjoy the story of young Charlie Bucket’s highly rare and fortunate break of spending time exploring Willy Wonker’s extravagant and dangerous sweet-making factory with Mr. Willy Wonker himself. Charlie has won one of the golden tickets but will it be the dream he always dreamed of or something else entirely?
His golden ticket adventure is shared with other not-so-nice children; Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee, Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt, all human metaphors for bad human traits. Gloop is greedy, rude and insubordinate, Salt is a spoilt brat who loudly demands everything he wants and throws tantrums, Beauregarde is an obsessive chewing gum chewer, and Mike Teavee only cares for the guns and violence he sees on television. All of their accompanying parents are weak and ineffectual or deliberately blind to the faults of their awful offspring. Only Charlie Bucket is a kind and selfless boy and, what’s more, is unassuming and respectful to everyone in his life. He is the only one who truly deserves to win the golden ticket and all that involves. Only the mysterious Willy Wonker can make that decision. And, will Grandpa Joe ever get out of bed?
Well kids, we have got to the end of this first Wednesday matinée performance and I can assuredly say that Nottingham Operatic have definitely hit the sweet spot with their tremendous production of ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’. It’s bloody brilliant. I would happily come back and watch this again.
The overall casting is perfect and top of the Chocolate Factory tree is Dan Armstrong as Willy Wonka. Armstrong is superb in the lead role, his dry wit and comedy timing is spot on and he has a commanding singing voice and especially good in Wonka’s patter songs such as ‘Strike that! Reverse it!’ When we get to see the magical interior of the Chocolate Factory and Armstrong sings of pure imagination we really believe his hopes, his words and inspirational thoughts.
Grandpa Joe is played by Simon Theobold and his character is thousand miles away from Theobold’s cruel M. Thenardier in Les Misérables earlier this year. Lovable and vulnerable is what Grandpa Joe is supposed to be and Theobold nails it with his vocals, his gait, his energy and his great personality.
The children in the cast alternate between performances and this afternoon the audience fall in love with Toby Clark as Charlie Bucket. Who could fail to be charmed by his gentle confident personality and sweet singing voice. His performance is a very believable one and his relationship with his mum (Emma Shute) has me welling up and wanting to hand the Bucket family a big food parcel and fix their leaking roof. There are tears in my big soppy reviewer’s eyes when his innocence and creativity are amply rewarded at the finale.
Then there are the other less likable Golden Ticket winners created by Roald Dahl: Augustus Gloop ( Seth Burgess), Veruca Salt (Clara Carter), Violet Beauregarde (Grace Hindle) and Mike Teavee (Samuel Smith). Each young actor fully brings out Roald Dahl’s interpretation of them as right little shits and all of them seem to relish the opportunity to portray them. Of course when they visit Willy Wonka’s factory they are supposed to behave and be accompanied by a responsible parent. Trying to control the children’s spoilt rotten temperaments are Mrs. Teavee (Joanne Lale), Mrs. Gloop (Lucy Haigh), Mr.Salt (Bara Erhayiem), and Mr. Beauregarde ( Ray McLeod). Each adult has an opportunity to express everything in song with numbers like ‘More of Him To Love’, ‘When Veruca Says’, ‘The Queen of Pop’, and ‘ What Could Possibly Go Wrong?’ All of these songs are also given full welly by members of the talented multi-role playing ensemble.
To use Roald Dahl’s crazy vernacular of understandable but made up words the ensemble as backing singers in character costumes are wondercrump, razztwizzling good, spliffling, and frankly rather gloriumptious. The Oompa Loompas get at huge round of applause for the way they are realised as do the giant squirrels that tear Veruca Salt to bits. No young snotty Russian girl is harmed in this staged dismemberment. Though the moment is ‘horrigust’.
The sets are fabulous, Justine Lee’s direction and choreography are off the chart, and Rob Murray’s musical direction is brilliantly enhanced by the eleven-strong live band. What a thrill this is for both adults and their children/grandchildren to experience. It’s much better than a pantomime and the end bit… the magical, tear-jerking end bit… yes that bit… shhhh, is worth the golden ticket price alone. No, you’ll just have to go and see it to get the reference. You would have to be a dogswoggler not to. Translation. Silly person.
On Weds 29th evening, Thursday 30th matinée , Friday 31st matinée and Saturday 1st Nov evening the young cast are Charlie Bucket (Henry Armstrong), Augustus Gloop ( Thomas Owen), Veruca Salt (Martha Crosby), Violet Beauregarde (Betsy Stevens) and as Mike Teavee (William Kent).
REVIEW BY THEATRE BEAN
★★★★★
Last night TheatreBean entered a world of pure imagination at the Nottingham Theatre Royal. This time to see Nottingham Operatic Society’s choctacular production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. NOS are renowned for being the “closest thing to professional” in the midlands. The quality and class of their productions are simply unmatched. After the success of their recent productions of Les Miserables: Let the People Sing and Guys and Dolls, we knew we were in for a treat!
Leading our cast, is Henry Armstrong in the role of Charlie Bucket. Henry couldn’t be more adorable in the role of young Charlie. With his blonde curls and big blue eyes, he immediately tugged on the heartstrings of the audience. Although only a little dot, his talent and stage presence is an unmistakable force. Henry showcased his angelic vocals, and beautiful falsetto, in numbers such as “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” and “Willy Wonka!” with clarity, precision and ease. A perfect casting.
Dan Armstrong plays Willy Wonka with a sinister edge, that adds new depth to the character. Armstrong’s versatility is impressive, playing recent roles such as Javert and Grandpa Potts, he once again is able to fully transform himself to suit this role, through clever physicality and characterisation. Vocally, Armstrong was incredible. “Pure Imagination” is a number well known by all, and his rendition was quite simply faultless. He cleverly blends a soft and silky falsetto, controlled and steady vibrato with unbelievable power. His jaw dropping note at the end of Act 1 in “It Must Be Believed To Be Seen” clearly demonstrated his breathtaking ability.
Simon Theobald as Grandpa Joe is another perfect casting. Theobald has excellent comedic timing, and cleverly intertwines this with Grandpa Joe’s heartfelt love for Charlie, making his character all the more endearing. After seeing Theobald in many roles such as Thénardier, Frollo, Baron Bomburst and The Proprietor, I always look forward to seeing his performance; but Grandpa Joe has easily become my favourite role of his to date. His humour and heart was a joy to see.
Emma Shute as Mrs Bucket brings warmth and maternal affection to the production. Her commitment to her family is apparent, and although the strain of financial pressures weigh heavy on her character, Mrs Bucket always tries her best for her family. Shute’s portrayal brought new heartbreak in her rendition of “If Your Father Were Here”, as we see her melancholy in the loss of her husband and the hardship of practicality when raising her child alone. Her quiet sadness, paired with her crystal clear vocals, brought new depth to this number and created a truly poignant moment.
Lucy Haigh as Mrs Gloop with Thomas Owen as Augustus Gloop are the first of our ticket winners. We are introduced to the Gloops in the cooky number “More Of Him To Love”. This hilarious number is jam packed with Lederhosen’s, yodelling and sausages of course! The pair worked brilliantly together, and their loveable nature made them a delight in this performance.
Martha Crosby as Veruca is a brilliantly terrifying force throughout the production, with commanding stage presence and intimidating glares, she is able to strike fear in the hearts of many. This bad nut has ultimate control of her doting father Mr Salt played by Bara Erhayium. The pair not only showcase brilliant Russian accents, but a wonderful onstage chemistry that brought humour throughout. I particularly enjoyed Mr Salt’s dance moves during the invisible corridor scene.
Ray McLeod as Mr Beauregarde is sassy and dramatic - a brilliant combination for this role! With Betsy Stevens as Violet Beauregarde, we are treated to a colourful explosion in “The Queen Of Pop”. The instagram obsessed pair had electric charisma throughout, as their lively spirit heightened the performance. Betsy’s feisty portrayal exudes natural confidence, and her impressive dancing talent far surpasses her years. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at Violet’s clever, blueberry-style transformation — a hilarious highlight that had the audience in stitches!
William Kent playing the unruly and technology obsessed Mike Teavee is the perfect blend of detestable brattiness and brilliant comedy. Mrs Teavee is played by Joanne Lale, and her desperate attempts to not only discipline but bond with her son are humorous throughout. I particularly enjoyed the way Lale became more and more inebriated throughout the production with her “mommy medicine” that would appear out of her Mary Poppins style bag - it seemed to be never ending with “homemade lemonade”.
The cast of children are split between team purple and team yellow. Team yellow includes:
Toby Clark as Charlie Bucket
Seth Burgess as Augustus Gloop
Clara Carter as Veruca Salt
Grace Hindle as Violet Beauregarde
Samuel Smith as Mike Teavee
The full cast are brilliant, with every performance radiating confidence and passion. Standout performers for me include Linda Croston as Mrs Green and Head Oompa Lumpa Nathan Curzon. I’m never usually a fan of Mrs Green’s character, however Croston brought a satirical flair and Irish charm that just made her unforgettable. Curzon is an outstanding performer that proves once again that there are no small parts. He never fails to captivate the audience no matter the role he plays, and I found him eye catching throughout.
Aesthetically the production is faultless. Scenery from Scenic Projects once again doesn’t fail to impress, transforming the Theatre Royal beyond recognition. I’m always dazzled by the clever way they stage “The View From Here”, and without spoilers, this moment is sure to bring joyous tears at the sheer beauty and creativity involved. Costuming by Charades Theatrical Costume Hire is also incredible. From Oompa Lumpa’s, to squirrels, to Wonka’s jacket and top hat - each costume is perfection.
The Oompa Lumpa’s were the highlight of this production. They brought shock, humour and unparalleled energy - even in the moments that young children meet their demise. Director and Choreographer Justin Lee has successfully created an exceedingly high standard masterpiece. Faultless Musical Direction from Rob Murray is the final ingredient to create a professional standard production for all the family. Every element of this production paid meticulous attention to detail, and the resounding cheers from the audiences were a reflection of this success.
Once again, Nottingham Operatic Society have created something truly magical. I’m in awe of the discipline, hard work and commitment required by each of these performers to bring a performance that defies all expectations of amateur theatre, and demonstrates the incredible potential of “AmDram”. The standards they set continue to soar and I look forward to returning for their production of Chess, The Musical in October 2026.
It is with no doubt that I must award 5 stars for this incredible performance.
I urge you to get your golden tickets while you still can, to be in for chance to enter through the factory doors because it really “Must Be Believed To Be Seen”.
Photo Credit: Martin Holtom and Stuart Reekie