One week ago we travelled to London

To see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

At The Theatre Royal on Drury Lane

As we arrived at the theatre

The air was filled with excitement

As we entered the auditorium

And took our seats

We just could not wait for the show to start

Esther and William know the story so well

They were delighted to see the four grandparents in bed

They loved the train rumbling over head

They laughed when the double bed split into four

Allowing the grandparents to sing and dance

Esther and William loved absolutely everything about the show

The bits that they recognised from the book

And those things that were different

We all fell in love with Charlie

Who was played beautifully by Ptolemy Gidney

I thought the first few scenes were very cleverly done

The lighting was well used to show the difference between

The Buckets’ home

And the homes of the four other golden ticket winners

Charlie’s Dad cycling to power the television

Was a wonderful visual idea

The use of the television to introduce the other children

Each with their own musical number

Worked really well

I really liked the old man in the junkyard

Who I suspected from the start might be Willy Wonka

It made something implied in the story

Explicit in the show

That Charlie was chosen from the start

That good things come to good people

To those who think of others before themselves

I love the moral of this Roald Dahl tale

And the stage show portrays it well

The stage play has a more adult tone of humour added to it

Than the original children’s book

Through Mrs Pratchett’s word play

And the tall tale telling of Grandpa Joe

I really liked all four of the grandparents

And Mr and Mrs Bucket too

Particularly the mum

But for me

From the start

Charlie stole the show

I am still not sure

One week on

If I liked Willy Wonka

I very much like the actor

Jonathan Slinger

But cannot decide about Mr Wonka himself

I think that might be the point of his portrayal

He is a dark magician

Yet wise with a heart

Though a heart well hidden

The mystery and magic

The Willy Wonka uneasy awe and wonder

Came across really well

Esther and William quite liked him I think

They were more scared of the loud and flashing Mike Teavee

Than anyone or anything else

But they also loved Mike Teavee

As he did moves that Esther and William are learning to do in Acro classes

So they thought he was indeed loud and flashy and very angry

But also rather cool

I did not like Mike Teavee

But thought that his mother was very funny

And incredibly well played

By Josefina Gabrielle

The sets were wonderful

The factory scenes magical

With wonderful colour and lights

The Oompa Loompas were fabulous

Vidiots was a highlight for me

A nod to mine and many others

Raving days

Esther’s favourite part was when Violet exploded

Purple confetti rained down on us

Enough to convince my beautiful two

That she had indeed turned into a blueberry and burst

William loved how they did the great glass elevator

He loved that Charlie really did get to fly

Pure Imagination was another highlight for me

The show would not have been right

Without this famous number in it

It made me feel very emotional

The whole thing did

Theatres always do

I had really been looking forward to seeing the character of Verucca Salt

I played her in a school play many years ago

In this adaptation she did not say very much

And what she did say in her squeaky voice

I could not understand

She was a ‘bad nut’

And the squirrels that told her so

Were pure genius

A very very clever piece of puppetry

The show was magnificent

We were gripped and engaged throughout

Esther and William are not yet six

But they soaked up every moment

Every word of every song

The curtain was hardly closed

Before they asked when we could come back

To see the show again

They totally believe the magic

They want so much to find a golden ticket of their own

And having watched the show

We are now re-reading the book

Before watching both versions of the film

I love the book and the original film

I was not at all sure what I would think of the stage production

I was worried that it would not translate well to the stage

But it does

It did

And Ptolemy Gidney playing Charlie

Acted the part exactly as I have always imagined him to be

And the memory of that will always stay with me

Thank you Charlie Bucket

Thank you x

If Charlie and the Chocolate Factory holds a special place in your heart

If it was an important part of your childhood

Do go and see the show

You will not be disappointed

The show ends in January 2017

So book your tickets now!

We were given free tickets to the show in exchange for an honest review