Casting Update For World Premiere Of Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
January 17, 2013
Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Kevin McCormick today announced further casting for Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which opens at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 25th June 2013, directed by Sam Mendes.
Alongside Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, the cast will include Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe, Clive Carter as Mr Salt, Jasna Ivir as Mrs Gloop, Paul J Medford as Mr Beauregarde, Iris Roberts as Mrs Teavee and Myra Sands as Grandma Georgina.
Other cast will include Joe Allen, David Birch, Michelle Bishop, Mireia Mambo Bokele, Matthew Clark, Alex Clatworthy, Jennifer Davison, Luke Fetherston, Nia Fisher, Kate Graham, Clare Halse, Mark Iles, Daniel Ioannou, Kieran Jae, Jane McMurtrie, Natalie Moore-Williams, Sherrie Pennington, Damien Poole, Paul Saunders, Jack Shalloo and Jay Webb.
Further casting to be announced.
When Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it’s the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he’s always dreamed of. But beyond the gates astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors, and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems.
ROALD DAHL’s deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a brand new West End musical directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes.
Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Grammy® winners for Hairspray; Smash), a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig (The Bacchae; Tintin In Tibet), set and costume designs by Mark Thompson (Mamma Mia!; One Man, Two Guvnors) and choreography by Peter Darling (Billy Elliot; Matilda).
Douglas Hodge is a four time Olivier-nominated actor/director, who has worked at the National Theatre, the RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Court Theatre. On Broadway, he recently starred at the American Airlines Theatre in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac, for the Roundabout Theatre Company. He won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his Broadway debut in La Cage Aux Folles, having already won the Olivier Award for the same performance in London. For ten years he worked closely with Harold Pinter, and he was Associate Director at the Donmar from 2007 to 2009. He has released two albums of his own compositions ‘Cowley Road Songs’ and ‘Nightbus’, and won the Stiles and Drewe 2012 Best New Song Award for ‘Powercut’. Alongside numerous television credits, his feature films include Vanity Fair, Robin Hood, the soon to be released Serena, and Diana – in which he plays Paul Burrell, butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.
This world premiere musical is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Kevin McCormick.
Book tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
October 15, 2012
Following the huge success of Matilda The Musical, another classic Roald Dahl tale gets a musical makeover as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London.
Featuring young Charlie Bucket and the madcap confectioner Willy Wonka, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Choclate Factory is brought to life in a major new West End musical directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes (Skyfall).
Starring Olivier and Tony-award winner Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, this spectacular new musical will feature stunning sets and costumes by Mark Thompson (Mamma Mia!), breathtaking choreography by Peter Darling (Billy Elliot The Musical; Matilda The Musical) and acclaimed music and lyrics by the team that created Hairspray The Musical – Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket wins a golden ticket to visit the weird, wonderful world of the Wonka Chocolate Factory. For five lucky winners it is the sweet-tooth chance-in-a-lifetime to venture into the sugary world of chocolate paradise. But not everything is as sweet as it seems in this darkly comic tale of chocolate gardens and Oompa-Loompas.
Directed by Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory promises to be the biggest musical opening in 2013.
The cast includes Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka; Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe; Clive Carter as Mr Salt; Jasna Ivir as
Mrs Gloop; Paul J Medford as Mr Beauregarde; Iris Roberts as Mrs Teavee; Billy Boyle as Grandpa George; Roni Page as
Grandma Josephine; Myra Sands as Grandma Georgina; Michelle Bishop as Mrs Pratchett; Alex Clatworthy as Mrs Bucket; Jack Shalloo as Mr Bucket; and Kate Graham as Cherry.
Theatre: Theatre Royal Drury Lane
DOUGLAS HODGE in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
October 12, 2012
Acclaimed actor Douglas Hodge set to play Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Douglas Hodge has had a long and varied career but headlining a major new, big-budget West End musical that has Broadway ambitions and Skyfall director Sam Mendes at the helm is a watershed moment for the star.
For in May this year he will start performances as Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s much-loved and much-filmed Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal Drury Lane London from 18 May 2013).
Hodge’s career runs the full gamut, from stage to screen, from drama to musicals, with a bit of directing and writing in there for good measure.
On stage he won Oliver and Tony Awards for his performance as Albie in La Cage aux Folles in the West End and on Broadway. National Theatre works includes A Matter of Life and Death, Betrayal, Blinded by the Sun, Pericles and King Lear. Almeida work includes No Man’s Land, Moonlight at the Almeida and Comedy and Coriolanus. Other West End work includes Inadmissible Evidence at the Donmar, Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly, Dumb Show at the Royal Court, Titus Andronicus at the Globe, The Collection/The Lover at the Donmar and A Winter’s Tale at the RSC and Roundhouse.
On TV Douglas Hodge has been seen in shows including One Night, Outnumbered, Skins, Mansfield Park and Middlemarch – and soon to air drama Coup, and his film roles include playing Paul Burrell alongside Naomi Watts in forthcoming Princess of Wales movie Diana, Robin Hood and Vanity Fair.
Further casting for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is to be announced shortly.
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Douglas Hodge to play Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
September 7, 2012
Sam Mendes casts Douglas Hodge in new West End production of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
Douglas Hodge picks up his 2010 Tony Award for La Cage
The actor Douglas Hodge is to take on his most high-profile stage project next year when he plays the iconic role of Willy Wonka in a major new stage musical of Roald Dahl’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
The £10 million production will be directed by Sam Mendes, who is currently working on the next James Bond movie Skyfall, and will open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in June 2013, following previews from 18 May.
Hodge follows a number of high-profile actors who have played the chocolate svengali including Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, who played the role in movie adaptations of Dahl’s popular children’s book.
Douglas Hodge’s career spans the full breadth of acting, from stage drama and musicals to TV and film. His stage career includes a long association with the work of Harold Pinter, Olivier and Tony Awards for his role as female impersonator Albin in La Cage Aux Folles, directing a number of productions and writing a musical. On screen his roles have included Middlemarch for the BBC and Vanity Fair.
His next project, opening this month, is to play Cyrano de Bergerac for the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York directed by Jamie Lloyd.
Olivier Award winning choreographer Peter Darling, who won an award this year for his work on Matilda The Musical and choreographed the movie and stage versions of Billy Elliot, will choreograph the show, with set and costumes by acclaimed designer Mark Thompson (One Man, Two Guvnors, Mamma Mia!).
The show will be produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Kevin McCormick and Neal Street Productions – the company owned by Caro Newling and Sam Mendes and who also produce that other big movie-to-musical show Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The show will have a book by David Greig, with songs by Hairspray duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitmann.
LINKS
Book tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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Shrek The Musical to close at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London
September 3, 2012
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory to replace Shrek at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The producers of Shrek The Musical have announced that the show is to close at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London on 24 February 2013. The show opened at Drury Lane on 14 June 2011.
Shrek The Musical to close at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Based on the hit movie franchise, the London production was deemed to be the best production so far following a short and costly Broadway run in 2009. The show is expected to go on a UK tour in 2014.
Shrek producer Bill Damaschke, who is Chief Creative Officer for DreamWorks Animation, said that, “it is not without sadness that we have decided to leave next year”. DreamWorks plans to bring its productions of Madagascar Live!, and How To Train Your Dragon to the UK in 2013.
Sam Mendes and Caro Newling of Neal Street Productions, who manage the production in the UK, will now produce Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the venue next year, directed by Mendes. They have been searching for a large-enough home for the musical for a number of months, with the Theatre Royal Drury Lane always top of the list.
Shrek The Musical has book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Jeanine Tesori and is based on William Steig’s book and the DreamWorks animated movies. Direction is by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, with designs & costumes by Tim Hatley.
The show currently stars Dean Chisnall as Shrek, Neil McDermott as Lord Farquaad, Carley Stenson as Princess Fiona and Richard Blackwood as Donkey.
LINKS
Book tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
More news on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical to open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
August 31, 2012
THIS SHOW IS NOW BOOKING – CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
A major new musical production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will open in the West End in June 2013.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – coming to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The show will starting playing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, currently home to Shrek The Musical, on 18 May 2013.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane will be directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, who returns to theatre directing after his 2003 Broadway production of Gypsy. He is currently filming the next James Bond movie, Skyfall.
Olivier Award winning choreographer Peter Darling, who won an award this year for his work on Matilda The Musical and choreographed the movie and stage versions of Billy Elliot will choreograph the show, with set and costumes by acclaimed designer Mark Thompson (One Man, Two Guvnors, Mamma Mia!).
Preliminary casting is believed to be currently under way to find the new stars of the show, to be produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Kevin McCormick and Neal Street Productions – the company owned by Caro Newling and Sam Mendes and who also produce that other big movie-to-musical show Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The show will have a book by David Greig, with songs by Hairspray duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitmann.
The show itself is based on the much-loved 1964 children’s book by British author Roald Dahl about a young boy called Charlie Bucket who wins the chance to step inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric Willy Wonka. The book was recently made into a successful 2005 film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.
LINKS
Book tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical to open at the London Palladium
June 23, 2012
A major new musical production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will open in the West End in June 2013.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – coming to the London Palladium
The show will play at the London Palladium, owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group and currently home to his production of The Wizard of Oz.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the London Palladium will be directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes, who returns to theatre directing after his 2003 Broadway production of Gypsy. He is currently filming the next James Bond movie, Skyfall.
Olivier Award winning choreographer Peter Darling, who won an award this year for his work on Matilda The Musical and choreographed the movie and stage versions of Billy Elliot will choreograph the show, with set and costumes by acclaimed designer Mark Thompson (One Man, Two Guvnors, Mamma Mia!).
Preliminary casting is believed to be currently under way to find the new stars of the show, to be produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Kevin McCormick and Neal Street Productions – the company owned by Caro Newling and Sam Mendes and who also produce that other big movie-to-musical show Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
The show will have a book by David Greig, with songs by Hairspray duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitmann.
The show itself is based on the much-loved 1964 children’s book by British author Roald Dahl about a young boy called Charlie Bucket who wins the chance to step inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric Willy Wonka. The book was recently made into a successful 2005 film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.
LINKS
Booking and venue details to be confirmed. Sign up to our news alerts service to hear about booking for this show.
Shrek The Musical to open in London
July 2, 2010
Everyone’s favourite ogre will be brought to life next year when SHREK THE MUSICAL®, based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film, hits the London stage.
Poster for the forthcoming US tour of Shrek the Musical
Produced by DreamWorks Theatricals and Sam Mendes’ Neal Street Productions, the show will open at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in May 2011. Drury Lane is currently home to Oliver!, which will close at the theatre on 8 January 2011.
Shrek The Musical originally opened on Broadway in December 2008 and was nominated for eight Tony Awards. It closed in January this year after a relatively short run, although is about to start a major tour of the USA, starting at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago on 13 July starring Eric Petersen, Haven Burton and Alan Mingo, Jr.
A number of changes will be made to the London version of the show including a new opening, new songs, improved magic and illusions, a newly styled dragon and more emphasis on giving the show “heart”.
The London stage musical is based on the irreverent fairy tale from William Steig’s book Shrek and the Oscar-winning Dreamworks Animation film. The creative team includes directors Jason Moore (Avenue Q) and Rob Ashford (Promises, Promises), with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, music by Olivier Award winner Jeanine Tesori, scenic, costume and puppet design by Tim Hatley, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Peter Hylenski and choreography by Josh Prince.
The show is the first stage venture for Dreamworks Animation’s theatrical arm and was originally initiated as a project by award-winning director Sam Mendes. The musical will be produced in London by DreamWorks Theatricals’ Bill Damaschke and Mendes’ Neal Street Productions under Caro Newling.
Neal Street Productions is also behind a number of high-profile new London theatre projects including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Current shows include the Mendes’-directed As You Like It and The Tempest at the Old Vic Theatre.
Official casting information will be released soon.
MORE ABOUT THE SHOW:
Shrek The Musical is about a swamp-dwelling ogre in a faraway kingdom, who embarks on a life-changing adventure in order to reclaim the deed to his land. This unlikely hero is joined on his quest by a wise-cracking donkey who won’t shut up, and has to fight a fearsome dragon, rescue feisty Princess Fiona and learn that real friendship and true love aren’t only found in fairy tales.
The final Shrek feature film in the series, Shrek Forever After, is on general release in the UK from today.
LINKS
Book tickets to Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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Willy Wonka to come to London
June 7, 2010
A lavish new stage production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is to come to London, directed by Sam Mendes.
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Slated for the end of 2011, the major new West End musical from the stage theatrical arm of Warner Bros, will see Mendes directing and his production company with Carol Newling, Neal Street Productions, producing the show. Warner Bros produced the 2005 Tim Burton movie. The recent success of Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is predicted to give a boost to further movie-to-stage children’s tales.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will follow Andrew Lloyd Webber’s spring opening of The Wizard of Oz, another children’s book made famous by film and making its way back to the West End stage. No theatre or casting has been announced for the Charlie project.
The musical will feature songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the successful writing duo whose latest show, Catch Me If You Can, will premiere on Broadway in Spring 2011. They also wrote Hairspray The Musical. The book is by David Greig based on Roald Dahl’s original children’s story.
The first Act of the new musical was read in New York last week and it is believed that the show will also open on Broadway after its London premiere.
LINKS
Book tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
