Ben Crawford News

Turning children's books into Broadway musicals has become very popular over the last few years. There is just something about seeing your favorite book from childhood coming to life on stage that just brings a little bit of magic back into the lives of audiences.

GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI! We wish you a wonderful start to your work week while posing the musical question: Are you as water-logged as we are? The rains in Tennessee over the weekend are, according to the Weather Channel, on their way out of the area and sunshine is just around the corner…just in time, we say! There's a lot of theater coming up this week and we've got shows to see and people to watch! Greetings to today's cover model Jordan Tudor Haggard who may or may not be enjoying a butterscotch sundae to kick off her day while she catches up on today's news of a theatrical bent.

The new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened just last night at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street). BroadwayWolrd was on hand for the special night and we're taking you to the red purple carpet below!

The factory is open! The new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened just last night at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street). We're taking you inside the opening night curtain call below!

The new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently in performances at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) and officially opened last night, April 23, 2017. BroadwayWorld correspondent Richard Ridge was live on the purple carpet, and we've got all the action for you below!

For those who were lucky enough to land a golden ticket last night, the party continued after the curtain down for opening night of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The new Broadway musical celebrated a Wonkafied opening at Pier 60 and BroadwayWorld is taking you inside the festivities below!

The new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently in performances at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) and officially opens Sunday, April 23, 2017. BroadwayWorld has a sweet first look at the cast in action below!

The new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently in performances at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) and officially opens tonight, April 23, 2017. Scroll down to get to know the company before tonight's opening bows!

Producers Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Langley Park Productions and Neal Street Productions announced today that a new block of tickets for Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will go on sale on Monday, April 24, 2017 at 10AM for performances through Sunday, April 22, 2018. Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which is currently in performances at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street), officially opens Sunday, April 23, 2017.

The new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is currently in performances at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street) and officially opens Sunday, April 23, 2017. BroadwayWorld has a sweet first look at the cast in action below!

Famed chocolatier Willy Wonka, on behalf of producers Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Langley Park Productions and Neal Street Productions, announces that Dylan Lauren (via her candy empire Dylan's Candy Bar) will be the official curator of all promotional things digestible, edible and wonderfully tasty for the new Broadway musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle (Willy Wonka),  begins performances Tuesday, March 28, 2017 and officially opens Sunday, April 23, 2017 at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

See brand-new shots of Willy Wonka and his band of lucky golden ticket holders from the latest cast photo call for 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. See Christian Borle and all the fresh young faces of the cast below!

In an exclusive interview with ET, Christian Borle discussed the nascent rehearsal process for CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, coming to Broadway in March. At this stage, Borle and director Jack O'Brien are working to find the proper balance between the story everyone knows and the story being brought to the stage.

The box office at Broadway's Lunt Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street), opens Monday, February 6, at 10am (EST). The first 50 ticket buyers at the Lunt Fontanne box office will receive a copy of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Broadway tie-in edition by Roald Dahl.

Studio Tenn and Tennessee Performing Arts Center's joint venture to produce Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita in Nashville resulted in the production claiming the top prize as "Outstanding Musical of The Year" at Sunday's Midwinter's First Night event at The Larry Keeton Theatre. Nashville Repertory Theatre's production of Nate Eppler's original play Good Monsters took the title of "Outstanding Play of The Year" in the annual ceremony that dates back to its origins in 1989.

First Night's Top Ten of 2017 - critic Jeffrey Ellis' annual review of the best in Tennessee theater - were revealed tonight during a live Facebook broadcast at 7:30 p.m. (CST), with Actor's Bridge Ensemble and Studio Tenn/TPAC leading the nods in this year's listing of categories.

BroadwayWorld gets to know the new Broadway cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with some of our favorite videos from years gone by! Check it out below!

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Langley Park Productions and Neal Street Productions, the producers of the new musical Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, announced today that two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle (Willy Wonka) will be joined by a cast of 35 that includes Tony Award winner John Rubinstein as Grandpa Joe (Pippin), Emily Padgett as Mrs. Bucket (Side Show), Kathy Fitzgerald as Mrs. Gloop (9 to 5), F. Michael Haynie as Augustus Gloop (Wicked), Ben Crawford as Mr. Salt (Shrek), Emma Pfaeffleas Veruca Salt (Finding Neverland), Alan H. Green as Mr. Beauregard (School of Rock), Trista Dollison as Violet Beauregard (A Bronx Tale), Jackie Hoffman as Mrs. Teavee (On The Town), Michael Wartella as Mike Teavee (Tuck Everlasting) and introducing Jake Ryan Flynn, Ryan Foust and Ryan Sell making their Broadway debuts as Charlie Bucket, with Yesenia Ayala (Broadway Debut), Darius Barnes (Cinderella), Colin Bradbury (Come Fly Away), Jared Bradshaw (Jersey Boys), Ryan Breslin (Newsies), Kristy Cates (Finding Neverland), Madeleine Doherty (The Producers), Paloma Garcia-Lee (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812), Stephanie Gibson(Cinderella), Talya Groves (Motown), Cory Lingner (On The Town), Elliott Mattox (Broadway Debut), Monette McKay (Memphis), Kyle Taylor Parker (Kinky Boots), Paul Slade Smith (Finding Neverland), Stephen Carrasco(Fiddler on the Roof), Kristin Piro (An American In Paris), Amy Quanbeck (Broadway Debut), Michael Williams(On The Town), and Mikey Winslow (On The Town).

Tony Award winner Faith Prince will star as sharpwitted aspiring reporter Ruth Sherwood opposite three-time Tony nominee Marc Kudisch as sympathetic editor Robert Baker in LA Opera's December presentation of Wonderful Town.