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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Reviews

Broadway ShowsMusicalsFamily ShowsFilm-TV

Average customer review: 3.5 star rating (3.3 Stars)

Number of reviews: 24

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5.0 star rating Liz Small from Kincardine, Ontario

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

What an amazing show!!! So well cast, superb lighting, costumes, dancing, .... a HIT from start to finish. For a couple of hours, we weren't sitting in a theatre - we were transported to a magical place that took our breath away. Pure joy, pure delight, pure imagination! Bravo!

5.0 star rating Annie from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

NOT FOR KIDS ONLY!

Start your holidays off with wonderful Wonka wonderland of talented actors who sing and dance into your childlike heart. I love musical theatre but my husband doesn’t and he smiled ear to ear the entire evening! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory deserves a 10!!!!

5.0 star rating Heather Madlock from Chicago, Illinois

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

I have been looking forward to seeing this play for months. I was not disappointed. I loved every second of this candy land. Noah Weisberg did an amazing sensational job. I could see him play Willie wonka in a movie. His character was hysterical and charming. He can sing n dance too!!! The only thing I would recommend to the directors is add chocolate smell in the air. This play brought back wonderful childhood memories. Thank you.

5.0 star rating Susan from Buffalo, New York

ACTOR PLAYING WILLY WONKA LAST NIGHT (9/22/18) AMAZING!

I was surprised with tickets to the show for my birthday! I was so excited to see the show and it was awesome! The casting was perfect,loved how it puts a modern spin on the movie. A lot of kiddos in audience and I was so happy to see them and how much they loved it! A show for all ages and all people, come for a hockey game one day see the show the next? Thank you to everyone, beautiful day for myself and my fiancé.

5.0 star rating Lurane from Boston, Massachusetts

SPECTACULAR REVIEW

Unexpected tickets for me to take 6 yr. old Granddaughter to Boston. Aisle seating in Orchrester were spectacular for us both. We had read the book before going so knew storyline. The backdrops were first class, music top notch, and actors very believable! We both went home, in an ice storm, and exclaimed about the entire experience for days.

5.0 star rating Phil L from Boston, Massachusetts

BLOWN AWAY

I went in with some trepidation having been told that the Globe review indicated that it was dark and not very good. Entirely wrong. This was a wonderful presentation of the material. I took my 13 year old niece who has been performing in shows for several years now and she loved it. I particularly liked the performances of WW and Charlie's mother. Also casting the spoiled girl as daughter of a Russian Oligarch was great fun as was the girl as a YouTube star and the tech addicted young man. If this had had a longer run I might have gone again.

5.0 star rating Elise from Akron, Ohio

AMAZING!

This show had to be one of the best musicals that I have seen in such a long time. Amazing cast with great sets.

5.0 star rating L. Wenzel from Long Island, NY

AMAZING TALENTED ACTORS!

From start to finish it was entertaining. I especially enjoyed the subtle humor intertwined with the storyline. Everyone in the cast is extremely talented.

4.0 star rating ALEXA from Toronto, Ontario

WONDERFUL FANTASY

I saw the musical in Toronto last night and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish! Charlie and The other 4 kids where great as was Willy Wonka and the "Oompa Loompa's".... Some other audience members and I thought that the only thing missing was having CHOCOLATE handed out with the programme as we entered the theatre!! Wonderful ensemble cast and an unexpected magical evening.

4.0 star rating Sascha from Chicago

PURE IMAGINATION!

Was so looking forward to see this after buying tickets, and was not disappointed! It really was a world of pure imagination, and then some! Perfect for all ages - I even saw the inner child coming out of the oldest of generations.

4.0 star rating Brian from Chicago, Illinois

ACTORS ALL GREAT, SETS VERY WEAK IN 2ND HALF

Saw the matine on say 10/6, All performances were very good, music was good too. But the sets were very poor especially in the second half. They relied on video animations and they all fell very short. Also Willy seemed very pale in makeup. Show was fun but slow at times too. Wonky factory was really stretching your imagination..needed more Think kids above 8 would enjoy.

4.0 star rating Sue Rosenberg from Richmond, Virginia

FUN FOR (ALMOST) ALL AGES!

The first half is somewhat dark as we learn about Charlie’s home life. The 8 year olds sitting behind us barely made it through. If only their parents had had the patience to stay for the second act - they would have been enthralled! The Oompah loompas are incredible!!!! My only regret is that I didn’t bring a stash of chocolate. Sneak some in your pocket (preferably large bars), then as the inevitable cravings begin, share them with your neighbors. They will love you forever!!

3.0 star rating Mike Ranieri from Toronto, Ontario

NOT SWEET ENOUGH

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which I saw a few weeks ago is good but only slightly above average. Once again we have a musical that jettisons much of the subtlety and charm of the movie and the book for big productions numbers. The good thing is that many of the new songs are quite good. But this is really a technical show. It's a bunch of fun songs strung together with impressive technical theatrics. The lead, that is, Willy Wonka, sings all the best songs. And frankly I think he sing too much. He is introduced right at the beginning with “Candy Man” and then he disguises himself as the candy shop own to interact with Charlie. The problem with this is that it eliminates all the mystery! Even if we knew nothing about the story Wonka’s eccentricities and his feelings for Charlie are never in question. The original movie with Gene Wilder remains the best televised version of this story!

2.0 star rating BR from Chicago, Illinois

WORLD OF NO IMAGINATION

I normally don't come out to write reviews, but this was so bad I couldn't keep quiet. I subscribe to Broadway in Chicago and was so excited that this was going to be part of the package thinking this was going to be an amazing spectacle. After dozing on and off in the first half, I wish I stuck to my gut instinct to leave after intermissions with the others around me, but I had high hopes that the factory would've been good and fun to watch. Boy was I wrong. The best part is the Chocolate room where everything is edible, and it was a total let down with VERY little to be desired. The characters left me with a "WTF" look on my face after each introduction. The mom and family were cringe- worthy. The only person that was trying to carry the show was Willy Wonka. I would've gladly changed out my ticket for a 2nd showing of Tootsie. I guess I'll stick to the original movie.

2.0 star rating Caity from Los Angeles, California

PURE DISAPPOINTMENT

Waited almost a year to see this play and it was a complete flop. Seems as if the props and writing was done in a hurry. The squirrels were scary as well as the oompa loompas. Wanted more of the original songs and storyline. Not worth the money spent on the tickets.

2.0 star rating Kali Sakai from Seattle, Washington

ALL OF THE MALICE AND NONE OF THE MAGIC

With the exception of the clever staging for the Oompa Loompas, this production lacked the spirit, heart and magic of the original story. It's like the creators of this musical downplayed the sense of wonder and imagination that makes it so timeless but super-charged the negative aspects and personality defects of each character. Wonka is portrayed as unbalanced and mean. The 4 terrible kids lack any humanity but face surprisingly permanent and at times grisly consequences. Grandpa Joe is inept, delusional and unfit to attend to Charlie. Conclusion: This version of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory sucks all the joy and amusement out of the original story and replaces it with a heaping dose of regret and unease.

2.0 star rating Portlandglitz&glam from Portland, Oregon

WELL THAT WAS A COMPLETE LET DOWN.

I was so excited to watch this tonight. But wow what a let down. Most of the effects /backgrounds / backdrops were displayed on a large tv screen. With a few little things like the German dancers and squrriels ripping apart Veruca Salt those were the 2 best things that happened. The rest was so boring people were leaving. The lady and her son next to me left at the break. The first hour and 20 min was leading up to going in to The Chocolate factory . They drug that out soooooo long. I was literally falling asleep. So many seats did not get full again when we came back from break it was crazy. They replaced Violet with a hip hop girl with “fly girls” and a dad for her manager. It was not what I expected and I welcome change but it lacked luster. Veruca Salt was great! Ans so was her dad. Charlie was a great actor and so was Willy Wonka. But it was incredibly hard to watch and quite boring. I feel really bad for saying that but I wouldn’t ever see this again.

2.0 star rating Alex Edwards from Richmond, Virginia

TOO SLOOOOW

Soundsystem gets a D. Way too many eardrum piercing sounds, especially Veruca and the squirrels. That scene was boring and drawn out. The invisible maze scene was equally boring and drawn out. The Oompas were the best part of the show. The ensemble was so good, they need their own feature number like Hard Knock Life, or Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life. Where were the peppy toe tappers? The orchestra was great. The actor who played Wonka should get paid 4x any other cast member. Lots of songs and dialogue. No other performer or scene was memorable. The ending was very, very weak. I don’t think this production is good enough to be on tour. I think the script needs major work to improve the pacing and energy level. It definitely needs a signature song, Candyman isn’t it. I don’t recommend this show. The material just isn’t there.

2.0 star rating Linda Smalley from Norris, Tennesse

A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

I was so surprised and disappointed at the Fox's unprofessional performance of the Willy Wonka on Sept. 27. As a musical, the story is told in song. Unfortunately, the performers didn't bother to make their singing, (or speaking for that matter) understandable. Charlie, his mother and grandfather, the German group, and Willy Wonka spoke and sang clearly and understandably. The rest of the ensemble didn't bother. I didn't understand a word said by the Russians, the Californians and the couple from Iowa. Of course that is a mark of a poor director. I left at intermission and was relieved to get out of the theatre, I

2.0 star rating JMA2Y from Detroit, Michigan

NOT REALLY THAT GOOD

Long, tedious, not always well done. The first half-before the factory tour-takes too long to have Charlie find the ticket. The second half is theefore rushed. The second half lacks enough props and staging. I know it's supposed to be invisible but very little of the stage is used. The magic and color and candy is very lacking. And then the children DIE horrible deaths.

2.0 star rating Concerned Father from Austin, Texas

INAPPROPRIATE, DISTASTEFUL, BIZARRE

My daughter and I were looking forward to this show for weeks. I didn’t realize that kids would be killed and the F word would be sang. When one of the characters was ripped apart by weird squirrels my daughter left in tears. I understand trying to appeal to all age groups but this was truly a disappointment.

2.0 star rating from Salt Lake City, Utah

LOSES THE THREAD OF THE BOOK

The acting and production was decent, although it faced the same issue of many productions having some actors shouting so loud that the mic can’t pick up their audio with good fidelity and so many of the songs were hard to understand. But the biggest issue I had is they changed wonka from a wacky and imaginative character to a malicious, money hungry, and disturbed character who has no concern that his factory is killing kids (yes the kids are mostly dying in this one). Then we’re supposed to be happy and root for Charlie in the end to take over this house of horrors? It was odd

1.0 star rating Kendra from St. Louis, Missouri

NO MAGIC, NO CANDY , NOT GOOD !

Worse show I’ve ever seen . Was hoping it would be a beautiful, magical, fun adventure . Was expecting a more authentic production of the iconic Willa Wonka. Did not like how they completely changed the characters of the children who had the golden ticket. The writers attempt at modernizing the show was tacky and uninteresting . I can’t say there was anything I liked about this show . I felt bad for anyone who brought their children to see this expecting a fun , heartwarming story . Thumbs down !!

1.0 star rating Nicole Post from St. Louis, Missouri

HUMORIZES MENTAL ILLNESS AND VIOLENCE

This is NOT a child-friendly show. Veruca's arms, legs & head are violently ripped off her body by human-sized, black, red-eyed squirrels. This play also romanticizes Russia's violence at a time when the country is destroying Ukraine. It reinforces stereotypes about single parents, making light of self-medicating with alcohol and serious depression and anxiety meds (the names are actually in the song!) I found myself having to explain why people might be singing and making fun of these topics with my ten-year-old in attendance. It's shameful that this play is marketed to children. It's offensive and potentially damaging, not to mention the harm that could be done to people actually suffering from mental illness, depression, and alcoholism. Parents should be made aware of these risks before exposing their children. An "R" rating for this play would be appropriate.

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What we thought

Enthralling exciting UNMISSABLE

As the lights fade and the fuelled giggles are heard, I realize that a Roald Dahl fan will forever be young at heart!

What could possibly go wrong? As the lights fade and the fuelled giggles are heard, I realize that a Roald Dahl fan will forever be young at heart! In this marvellously colorful production, Charlie Bucket reminds us that it doesn't matter where you come

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Nicola Quinn

Nicola Quinn

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