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 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
More news on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Book tickets to Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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
Book tickets to Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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
SPECIAL OFFER: Book tickets to Shrek The Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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.
Richard III at the Old Vic Theatre starring Kevin Spacey – Round-up of Reviews
June 29, 2011
A round-up of reviews of Richard III at the Old Vic Theatre starring Kevin Spacey.
Kevin Spacey as Richard III at the Old Vic
The final season of the Old Vic’s The Bridge Project sees Kevin Spacey in the title role of Richard III, directed by Sam Mendes.
See a round-up of reviews for Richard III, below.
Donmar Warehouse names new head
March 12, 2011
The Donmar Warehouse in London has named Josie Rourke as the new artistic director of the successful Covent Garden venue. She will take over from Michael Grandage at the beginning of 2012.
Josie Rourke
It has been rumoured for some time that Rourke, 34, who is currently artistic director of the Bush Theatre, would take over at the Donmar. Her stewardship of the Bush since 2007 has seen a number of high profile productions, successful funding drives and the relocation of the venue to a new home, which will open in September this year. She has also worked in Sheffield, at the Royal Court, the Old Vic and London’s National Theatre.
Rourke is also directing the forthcoming high-profile production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre (from 16 May) starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate.
Grandage has proved a hugely successful artistic director at the Donmar over the past 10 years through a succession of hit shows including his Olivier and Tony Award winning production of Red starring Alfred Molina . He in turn inherited the venue from Sam Mendes, who cemented the Donmar’s reputation as a world-class theatre.
Rourke said that she was “thrilled and honoured” to be taking up the post and that, “ten years ago, I started my career as the Resident Assistant Director at the Donmar. Nothing could make me more proud than to return to the place where I began. Both Michael Grandage and Sam Mendes have always been great friends and invaluable mentors and when I take over as the Donmar’s Artistic Director I will inherit their legacy of twenty years of wonderful productions, extraordinary performances and great nights out at the theatre.”
Michael Grandage commented that the Donmar’s board of directors had made “an inspired appointment” and that “the Donmar will now benefit from that energy and leadership.”
Grandage’s last season at the Donmar will include Jude Law and Ruth Wilson starring in Eugene O’Neill’s play Anna Christie, Douglas Hodge in John Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence and Eddie Redmayne in Richard II.
LINKS
Book tickets to Josie Rourke’s new production of Much Ado About Nothing
Richard III tickets at the Old Vic Theatre starring Kevin Spacey
February 4, 2011
Oscar winner Sam Mendes directs Oscar winner Kevin Spacey in the title role of Shakespeare’s Richard III in the final season of their multi-award winning Bridge Project venture.
Shows closing in September
August 17, 2010
It’s all change in the West End next month as September sees a number of shows bid farewell.
La Bete
September marks a busy time for Theatreland as a slate of new shows open in town, which means a number of summer hits are closing to make way.
This month, Sam Mendes’ Bridge Project shows at the Old Vic, As You Like It and The Tempest, starring Stephen Dillane and Juliet Rylance, closes on 21 August. They are swiftly followed by La Bete at the Comedy Theatre, which closes on 28 August before heading off to Broadway. The Matthew Warchus-helmed show features a starry cast including David Hyde Pearce, Mark Rylance and Joanna Lumley.
In September, things start to get really shaken up and we lose some of the big summer shows. In a reversal of La Bete, HAIR made its debut on Broadway and then came to London – and you only have until 4 September to see what all the fuss was about and catch the New York cast, including Gavin Creel, before they head home.
Burn The Floor
Also on the 4th we lose David Essex penned musical All The Fun of the Fair, and dance spectacular Burn The Floor , which is clearing its tango shoes and sequins out of the Shaftesbury Theatre to make room for another big dance show, Flashdance The Musical. This will star Matt Willis and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and is choreographed by Arlene Phillips.
And it’s never just one big dance show that goes: butch and blue-collar Tap Dogs starring Adam Garcia is also leaving the West End the day after Burn The Floor, on 5 September.
The short run of The Secret of Sherlock Holmes, riding high after the BBC’s Sherlock series, will end on 11 September at the Duchess Theatre to make way for Michael Gambon in Krapp’s Last Tape.
And we wave goodbye to Jeff Goldblum and Mercedes Ruehl on 25 September as Neil Simon’s The Prisoner of Second Avenue leaves the Vaudeville Theatre.
BOOKING AND OFFERS
Save £19 on tickets to see HAIR at the Gielgud Theatre
Save £30 on tickets to see All The Fun of the Fair at the Garrick Theatre
Save £21 on tickets to see Burn The Floor at the Shaftesbury Theatre
Save £11 on tickets to see Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre
Half Price tickets to see The Secret of Sherlock Holmes at the Duchess Theatre
Save £14 on tickets to see The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre
