A World of Pure Imagination
For me, Roald Dahl brings back memories of snuggling in bed with my mum reading me a story: The Twits, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, and of course Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
When I first saw the 1971 film adaptation of the book starring Gene Wilder, I didn't think anything would be able to beat his performance.
With that in mind, and being a "oh the original is the best version" snob, when I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, in all honesty I was expecting to hate it.
Nothing would compare to my beloved 1971 film version. Or so I thought.
For an evening, I wasn't a 23 year old young lady about town, I was a young girl transported back to story times with my mum again. Louis Sac as Charlie and Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka were brilliant, not to mention the rest of the Bucket family and or course the Oompa Loompas.
Visually, it looked stunning. Bringing the imagination of Roald Dahl to the stage was a feat in itself. I wondered how on earth would they recreate the factory and other iconic scenes. The answer was with great success.
Throughout the show, we were teased with the opening bars of the classic song 'Pure Imagination'. Again I didn't think anyone would compare to Wilder but when we were finally treated to the number, Hodge did not disappoint. His performance brought back childhood memories and I found myself quite overwhelmed. A sterling performance.
The sets and costumes looked amazing, there is no doubting that. But thanks to Sam Mendes's direction, when I left the theatre the moral behind the story is the thing that left me with that warm fuzzy feeling. After all the moral is the protagonist in this tale.
If the reviews are anything to go by, this is a Marmite production: you'll either love it or have it. In my opinion, it's a great evening out for children and adults alike, there is nothing not to love about this new production.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane www.theatreroyaldrurylane.co.uk
When I first saw the 1971 film adaptation of the book starring Gene Wilder, I didn't think anything would be able to beat his performance.
With that in mind, and being a "oh the original is the best version" snob, when I went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, in all honesty I was expecting to hate it.
Nothing would compare to my beloved 1971 film version. Or so I thought.
For an evening, I wasn't a 23 year old young lady about town, I was a young girl transported back to story times with my mum again. Louis Sac as Charlie and Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka were brilliant, not to mention the rest of the Bucket family and or course the Oompa Loompas.
Visually, it looked stunning. Bringing the imagination of Roald Dahl to the stage was a feat in itself. I wondered how on earth would they recreate the factory and other iconic scenes. The answer was with great success.
Throughout the show, we were teased with the opening bars of the classic song 'Pure Imagination'. Again I didn't think anyone would compare to Wilder but when we were finally treated to the number, Hodge did not disappoint. His performance brought back childhood memories and I found myself quite overwhelmed. A sterling performance.
The sets and costumes looked amazing, there is no doubting that. But thanks to Sam Mendes's direction, when I left the theatre the moral behind the story is the thing that left me with that warm fuzzy feeling. After all the moral is the protagonist in this tale.
If the reviews are anything to go by, this is a Marmite production: you'll either love it or have it. In my opinion, it's a great evening out for children and adults alike, there is nothing not to love about this new production.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane www.theatreroyaldrurylane.co.uk