New Wimbledon Theatre – until 1st July 2023
Reviewed by Ben Jolly
3***
A lacklustre production of a listless show sparks lukewarm feelings of nostalgia in this thoroughly watchable family friendly show at the New Wimbledon Theatre.
Based on the classic Roald Dahl novel of the same name and released in 1964, the musical adaptation originally opened at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2013. Ten years later it is touring the provinces in its first UK tour which opened in November last year; it has had a few tweaks and alterations along the way from the first production as the show has since transferred to Broadway, played two US national tours, toured Australia and has had multiple productions across the globe. It is a shame that after so many facelifts, the creative team have still been unable to rectify the problems that the show has faced from the beginning.
Heart and joy are intrinsic to a show like this and yet again this production does not provide the demand; without these key ingredients, we are merely presented with a flashy, one dimensional troupe of characters who, like comic book characters deliver superficial entertainment but fail to provide any substance.
The first act depicts Charlie’s struggles and family life (who was played exquisitely by Amelia Minto on opening night), after we learn of the legend of Wonka and his plan to open the factory to five lucky winners of the highly sought after golden ticket, we are subjected to song after song in a painfully formulaic structure introducing the characters. The economical choice was to have these children (with the exception of Charlie) played by adults, I have no aversion to this, but when you’re an adult “playing” a child instead of allowing the material to speak for itself it comes across rather creepy, which unfortunately was the case with some of the performances last night.
There are however, a few moments that spark joy within the first act, these are the ones which touch on the heart of the subject, Charlie and their family life. Michael D’Cruze is a fun-loving, charming Grandpa Joe and Leonie Spilsbury has a lot of heart and warmth as Mrs Bucket, it’s a slight shame that the pendulum couldn’t be swung in the opposite direction with her portrayal as Mrs Teavee in the second act, however. When (spoiler alert) Charlie finally gets their golden ticket, I must admit I got goosebumps, although the jury is still out on whether that was genuine excitement for the character or if I was just relieved that the plot was finally advancing.
We end the first act with the introduction (finally) of Mr Willy Wonka himself. Gareth Snook immediately injects an abundance of energy and the much needed theatricality we’d been missing until now. Like a breath of fresh air we feel safe in the hands of Mr Wonka who can direct the narrative and bring us back on track. His opening number gives us elements of vaudeville with a performance that feels akin to the Engineer in Miss Saigon’s ‘American Dream’.
This show needed at least some elements of high production values to help it, and yet we were let down again as most of the second act is told through the use of graphics on a video screen. The production relies too heavily on this element and yet again we are missing that big dose of theatricality, not even the Oompa Loompas were able to provide this; there was a moment of anticipated applause from the audience upon the mere mention of their names but it shortly ended when upon entrance it turned out the Oompa Loompas had been taken over by the Cybermen from Doctor Who – with equally robotic choreography.
All was not lost, however, the final few scenes managed to ignite some elements of magic and warmth, it just needed to be more consistent throughout. Anyone who knows the work of Roald Dahl relies heavily on the macabre and turns it on its head to provide a sense of hope. We just didn’t see this enough.
The show ultimately is a safe hit, it has and will continue to entertain families throughout the country, the story alone and its legacy will see to this. The score by Marc Shaiman is enough to provide a heart warming soundtrack to the night and the music really soars in the few moments when every piece of the puzzle comes together. I just wish that the creative team behind the show and this particular production had used a little more pure imagination.