Theatre / Roald Dahl
Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff – ‘It feels like a fever dream, but in a good way’
“Would you like a chocolate?” asks Gareth Snook. We’re sitting in his dressing room at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.
Around the room, the iconic costume pieces of the character are waiting. The purple jacket, the cane, the hat. It’s 30 minutes to showtime and Willy Wonka has just offered me some chocolate. I must be dreaming. “People keep sending it to me!” he says. “It turns up at the stage door via Amazon. Go on, get stuck in!” Of course, I accept.
I sit down with Snook, star of the latest revival of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -The Musical – currently on tour for the first time, and arrriving at Bristol Hippodrome in September – to get his thoughts on the production, the tour and carrying the mantle of such an iconic character.
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There’s something of Wonka about him from the beginning, from his booming “come in!” when we knock on the door, to his engaging and charismatic charm when we sit down together.
Company, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical – photo: Johan Persson
Given the history of such a character, and the many interpretations that have befallen the stage and screen over the years, I was keen to hear how Snook approaches Wonka in the context of his history.
“I quickly discovered that you have to make him your own, to bring him to life,” he reflects, pointing out that Wonka needs not only to lead the families in the show through his factory, but the audience as well. “That relationship with the audience has to be very strong, and you have to cement that quite quickly. You have to use a lot of yourself, and I’ve certainly done that”, he says.
It’s clear when watching the show later that Snook has indeed put his own spin on Wonka. He comes across as a real showman; a circus master in his prime, showing off his inventions with a touch of Hollywood razzmatazz as he sings and dances around the bemused children.
He has nothing of the creepy interior found in the Wilder or Depp portrayals, and instead adds a touch of quiet melancholy in places. “He can be a very misunderstood character,” Snook notes.
Noah Walton as ‘Charlie Bucket’ and Michael D’Cruze as ‘Grandpa Joe’ – photo: Johan Persson
“People describe him as sinister, but the kids bring it upon themselves. He warns them all and they don’t listen! But yes, I’ve fallen in love with him a little bit, so I like protecting him. I think he deserves that.”
I ask about his pre-show rituals, and he answers frankly: “Well, as soon as I put that costume on, it does it for me. I look in the mirror and go, there he is”.
I also ask Snook how he fills his free time, when he’s not onstage. Not that he gets much, performing eight/nine shows weekly. “Well, lying down as much as possible” he laughs, and I notice a bed in the corner of the room. “I’m of an age now where, to survive the show, I have to rest as much as possible really.”
The time is ticking to the start of the show at this point, but I have enough time to ask him about Bristol, ahead of the Hippodrome run in the autumn. “I know Bristol very well!” he exclaims. “What’s that curry house next to the Old Vic called? Is it the Raj? You will definitely see me in there at some point!”
Gareth Snook as ‘Willy Wonka’ and Company – photo: Johan Persson
We leave and take our seats for the show. After everything that Mr Willy Wonka had said about the performance, I had the highest of expectations. Happily, I can say that they were largely met by the performance.
Amelia Minto is exceptional as the titular character, combining all the confidence of a west-end star with the sweet and innocent demeanour that her character needs. The whole cast are superb in fact, and successfully in creating a fun, yet quirky atmosphere.
This quirkiness, combined with Simon Higlett’s retro costume choices and beautiful set, make for an unexpected amount of magic that only becomes more enchanting when we enter the Wonka factory in Act Two.
The production makes seriously good use of its tech, with the majority of the set being digitally rendered on an enormous screen at the back of the stage. It transforms the space, with illusions and moments that truly make for a unique setting that feels like a fever-dream, but in a good way.
Gareth Snook as ‘Willy Wonka’ and Company – photo: Johan Persson
It all takes me back to when I first read the book as a child, but in my wildest imagination I couldn’t conjure up the images that the production does with their stagecraft.
The music is also enchanting, and the orchestration is so perfect that you’d be forgiven for thinking that there was a backing track.
These elements, combined with Emily Jane Boyle’s seamless and inventive choreography, cement the production as a good old-fashioned musical, whilst the set and staging push it to somewhere new.
And of course, Snook is superb as Wonka. However, as he dances and struts about the stage with all the might and confidence of a seasoned veteran, all I can think about is the kind and unpretentious professional who had given me a chocolate an hour before.
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical, photo: courtesy of Bristol Hippodrome
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical is at Bristol Hippodrome from September 20-October 8; showtimes vary. For more information and tickets, go to www.atgtickets.com.
All photos: Johan Persson
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