While Wonka's chocolates and candies can still be found in stores across the globe, the latest iteration of his now-classic story of succession tastes stale and a?' at times a?' lacks any taste at all.
On Thursday, July 25th, Tony® Award winner Beth Leavel stopped by Broadway Artists Alliance to share some words of wisdom before the students' highly anticipated industry showcase. Leavel has been starring as Dee Dee McAllen in the Broadway hit The Prom for the last year, a role for which she received a Tony® Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. She is also well known for her Tony® Award win for The Drowsy Chaperone, and her other Broadway credits include Bandstand (June Adams), Elf (Emily), Baby It's You! (Florence Greenberg, Tony® Award nomination), Mamma Mia (Donna), 42nd Street (Annie, Dorothy Brock), Showboat (Ellie), and The Civil War (Mabel, Mrs. Bixby). Leavel took time out of her busy show schedule to connect with the students and share her advice for navigating the theater industry.
If you're like me, Dear Readers, you grew up with that indelible classic film, a?oeWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factorya?? starring the amazing Gene Wilder (and hopefully not that abomination with Johnny Depp). Or maybe you found yourself getting lost in the pages of the Roald Dahl novel, a?oeCharlie and the Chocolate Factorya??. Whichever it is you probably found yourself longing for an Everlasting Gobstopper, or wanting to meet an Oompa Loompa, or terrified of that nightmare infused boat ride in the original film. Whichever version you preferred, rest assured there's something for everyone in the current musical incarnation, bearing the same name as the novel, currently on tour and at the Paramount Theatre. There are a few sound issues, and they've taken a few liberties with the characters to punch it up to modern day, but the whimsy and yearning for a?oePure Imaginationa?? is still quite present.
On Thursday, July 18th, Tony® Award winner Santino Fontana surprised the students of Broadway Artists Alliance during their exciting week of master classes and rehearsals in the heart of New York City. It's been a little over a month since Fontana took home the 2019 Tony® award for playing Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie, but he is also well known for his roles in Cinderella, Hello, Dolly!, Billy Elliot, The Importance of Being Earnest, and for his various roles on screen in shows and movies like Frozen, Crazy-Ex Girlfriend and Fosse/Verdon. Fontana took time out of his busy show schedule to share some encouraging words with the young performers.
You might think you've seen the tale of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory enough, but the musical stage adaptation now playing at the Denver Center's Buell Theatre has got plenty of fresh treats to offer.
Join the 'world of pure imagination' as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory plays at the Orpheum Theatre Nov. 5-10, 2019.
Despite its general pleasant nature, many cute moments, and a plethora of genuine talent on stage, this stage musical adaptation of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY---Roald Dahl's beloved 1964 children's novel about a sweet, affable kid who wins a meet-and-greet (and more!) with an eccentric Candy Man named Willy Wonka--- comes off less magical and whimsical than one would hope it would be considering its source material. Is this national tour production---now continuing performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts through June 9---joyful enough for kids and kids-at-heart to enjoy? Sure. But, overall, something about it feels just slightly under-baked, as if all the additional necessary ingredients that would have made this musical extraordinary didn't quite make it into the mix.
On this special mini episode of West of Broadway, Will and Lara talk with Noah Weisberg who is currently staring as Willy Wonka in the National Tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now playing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts til Sunday June 9th.
The producers and Segerstrom Center for the Arts are pleased to announce casting for the national tour of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, which will play Segerstrom Hall May 28 - June 9, 2019. As previously announced, Broadway veteran Noah Weisberg (South Pacific, Enron, Elf, Legally Blonde) will star as the extraordinary chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, with Henry Boshart (age 10), Collin Jeffery (age 11) and Rueby Wood (age 11), alternating in the title role of Charlie Bucket.
Pack up the kids and head to San Francisco's Golden Gate Theater, now thru May 12, to see Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." It's like winning your own golden ticket.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened at the Pantages Theatre earlier this week!
What an incredible week this has been! First Matilda the Musical and now Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, both based on Roald Dahl's books. It most definitely is a world of pure imagination for kids of all ages. Currently at the Hollywood Pantages through April 14, The Chocolate Factory is a uniquely mesmerizing tale of little Charlie Bucket, who, like Matilda, is a genius who can create something out of nothing. Willy Wonka (Noah Weisberg) desperately wants an heir to his Chocolate Factory, so
It is always exciting when a beloved story from one's childhood receives new life on the stage. It is especially thrilling when it's a piece with such sweet potential as Roald Dahl's classic tale, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. With the original book, the classic Gene Wilder film (and other film adaptations) and recent London and Broadway musical productions setting the stage, this fun new musical will take the Bushnell stage in Hartford, CT from February 19 - 24. Playing Augustus Gloop, one of the nasty children who finds a golden ticket to tour Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, will be Matt Wood, who sat down with me to talk about this entertaining, family-friendly show.
Sometimes a show completely defies expectations. And in the case of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, that's a good thing. I settled into my seat at the Durham Performing Arts Center Tuesday night and drew forth my pen, my weapon choice, completely prepared to obliterate this production. Then the music started. Cue the ensemble. "Who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew…" Suddenly there I was, smiling, strangely finding comfort in the familiar, when I heard a sound that would completely disarm me. A nine-year-old kid behind me named Blake laughed, an infectious sort of laugh that served as a bit of a wake-up call that this show wasn't calculated for me. This show, this moment, and this performance belonged to him and every other dewy-eyed kid in the audience.
As the Candy Man himself said, "come with me, and you'll see a world of pure imagination." It seems the writers and creatives behind CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY playing at the Hippodrome took this phrase to heart. On the basis of pure creativity and theatre magic, this show is a hit for young and old. These days, it's fun to have at least a singular moment of "I don't know how they managed to do that", however in this show particularly from the magic of a soaring paper airplane, to a child gobbled into a television set, there are many of these moments of amazement. And I'm sure the numerous children in the audience were completely taken by the sheer wonder of it.
The Boston premiere of the US National Tour of Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY opened at the Boston Opera House this week, just a year after the Broadway production closed. The core of the Broadway creative team brings in a 36-member cast, including the beguiling candy man Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas, his odd little troupe of orange-haired factory workers.
This is not your parents' Willy Wonka. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, the new musical by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is a bigger, brighter, louder version of the beloved novel by Roald Dahl. Featuring larger-than-life projections, updated characters, and brand-new music - the world of Willy Wonka has never looked flashier.
Audiences are taking a trip to a world of 'Pure Imagination' with Cincinnati's 2018-2019 Broadway Series opener, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, running now through Nov. 4! Based on the beloved children's novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie tells the story of a young boy who dreams of one day becoming a chocolatier.
The tour opened last month in Buffalo, NY to rave reviews and set a new record as the highest grossing and attended tour launch in Shea's history. Just finishing its third week in Chicago, the tour continues to delight audiences. Get a look at the tour below!
The chocolate factory is coming to a city near you! The tour for CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY launched last month at Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, NY, before an official opening in Chicago last week. Check out all-new production photos of the touring company below!
