Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical

My youngest daughter is at a wonderful age where her interest in theatre and in particular musical theatre is developing. My eldest daughter and I enjoyed musical theatre together and we made some fabulous memories as we watched productions such as Hairspray and Chicago. When I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical advertised, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to start our own musical theatre journey together. So we made the trip over to West Yorkshire to Leeds Playhouse.

Leeds Playhouse

This was my first visit to Leeds Playhouse and we were incredibly impressed with the building. As we have a disabled family member, the availability of disabled parking is always a primary concern. Fortunately, we were able to park pretty much at the door of the theatre in one of the disabled parking bays. There is ample parking just across the road in the Victoria Gate car park.

Inside the building, we found there were also a number of lifts and accessible toilets. There were also ample spaces for wheelchair users. In fact, some of the seats can be moved relatively easily to make space for wheelchairs thus enabling the wheelchair user to be seated with their companions rather than in an isolated spot.

The tickets were incredibly cheap at £14 each. These were the cheapest seats and to be honest, I was a little concerned we might have a limited view of the stage. However, the tiered seating ensured we were not hindered by our seating choice. I have a terrible fear of heights. When visiting the Palace Theatre in Manchester, I was terrified throughout one production as I sat in the gods. However, Leeds Playhouse does not have that same effect. I felt incredibly safe and comfortable even though I was seated in the higher stalls.

The Production

One word could perhaps describe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Muscial – amazing! From start to finish, we were a captivated audience.

The production stayed relatively true to the book, which was wonderful to see. Charlie Bucket was played by Noah … a 12-year-old boy who was an incredible actor with an amazing singing voice. The actor who played Mr. Willy Wonka was equally magnificent and brought his own unique flair to the character (an incredible feat considering the role was played by Gene Wilder and more recently Johnny Depp!). A couple of the actors played more than one role but this was done in such a way that this was only discovered when we looked at the programme! The dancers were excellent, as we were the Umpa Lumpas who were dressed as metallic creatures – another unique twist to make this production it’s own.

To complement the outstanding abilities of the performers, the production soared no expense in special effects to really bring their masterpiece to life! With the clever use of lights and ropes, they created a magical world. They really did bring Willy Wonka’s factory to life. With lifts and chocolate rivers, the tale was told whilst keeping the audience a gasp and in total awe. At times, our eyes didn’t know where to look, the stage was utterly filled with so many colours, dancers, and moving props.

Family Fun for All!

The script itself was incredibly funny with jokes that kept not only the adults but also the children giggling throughout.

One of the characters – Mrs. Bucket – signed her lines. This was something I have never seen before. It was incredible to watch and the actress was so skilled. One audience member I spoke to at the end told me she was deaf. She said she was thrilled to see sign language used on stage in that way. In fact, there were tv screens in the theatre that showed someone signing the performance. I noticed this was live rather than a recording which made this accommodation even more appreciated.

We cannot recommend Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical enough! Upon our recommendations, a number of our friends have booked tickets and cannot wait to tap and sing along to the music as we did.

For similar posts, see our Adventures Category.