Turning tips into memories

Get started Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Kids
  • Benefits
  • Membership
  • Get Started
  • Membership
  • Benefits
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Things to do

Behind the scenes: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

By Lucy Brooks on 4/12/2015

We peeped backstage to explore the chocolate factory, learn more about the heroic Oompa-Loompas, and tuck into a Wonka bar

The Gates to Willy Wonka's Factory: Behind the Scenes at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Gates to Willy Wonka's Factory: Behind the Scenes at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Backstage

The mind-boggling spectacle of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on stage makes it easy to suspend disbelief and get carried away into a world of pure imagination.

But there’s always the cynical grown up and the curious children that want to know exactly how it works.

After more than 1000 performances of the show so far and before the Christmas rush, we peeped into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and explored backstage to discover how Roald Dahl’s most inventive adventure is brought to life, from ground-breaking stagecraft to a heroic, tireless cast of Oompa-Loompas.


'Head first like a torpedo', Augustus Gloop gets sucked up the Pipe
Photograph by Tasha Turan (c)
Sweet treats: Wonka Bars and Golden Tickets

Normally, when you find out how something works, the magic fades. It turns out the technical foundations and little touches that build Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the musical are as imaginative and creative as Roald Dahl’s book.

The sheer scale of the production is astounding: it takes 70 tonnes of scenery and a team of 150 people to make this show happen night after night. Yet it's the tiny details, not even always visible to audiences, that capture the charm and wit of Dahl's original.

A genuine Golden Ticket: Behind the Scenes at Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In a very Wonka-worthy splash of fun, each and every part of the set and props is branded with a ‘W’. The precious Golden Tickets are glittery, specially embossed with the W brand and even have the winner’s terms and conditions printed on the back.

The props cupboard is the stuff that sweet dreams are made of: piles and piles of Wonka Bars (milk, dark, even gluten-dairy-nut-free for child stars with allergies), sweeties to make the edible flowers and grass, copious chewing gum for Violet and even sausages for Augustus.

Setting the scene: stagecraft innovations




The biggest challenge of staying true to the book is creating the bonkers settings and distinctly dark sticky ends suffered by the ghastly Golden Ticket winners.

An accurate evocation of the book is at the heart of the production: Augustus Gloop gets sucked up the chocolate pipe ‘head first, like a torpedo’, exactly as Dahl describes, an increasingly blue Violet inflates at alarming speed, a pixellated Mike Teavee flits from screen to screen and, Veruca is declared a bad nut.

But, the stage manager explains, the staging for these different downfalls was designed to reflect the very different personalities of each child. The result is a second half with a staggering variety of sets and styles, from futuristic televisions to Nutcracker style giant squirrels.

The volume of different settings means it takes three hours to run through the technical check each day — a long time even by West End standards.



For all the jaw-dropping visuals, it is a simple, seamless moment that’s the most innovative part of the whole show. At the very beginning two giant piles of rubbish move and turn to reveal Charlie Bucket’s, shabby, ramshackle shack. It’s so subtle to watch you don’t think to question quite how it happens.

Normally when scenery shifts without stagehands pushing, it’s on tracks, so like a train, it’s restricted to straight lines. But the house scenery can move freely thanks to cutting edge laser technology inspired by Las Vegas. Like two very expensive remote controlled cars, the parts of scenery are controlled by a sci-fi-worthy combination of lasers and reflector strips.

This is the kind of cutting edge stuff you associate with labs, not theatres, and indeed the show could not happen without feats of engineering. As the only show in the West End using such technology, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory leads the way in the art of stagecraft.

It’s not all new-fangled technology, though. The moment that makes audiences gasp night after night, as little Charlie throws a paper aeroplane that floats over the auditorium, is delightfully simple — though we're sworn to secrecy.



Costumes: giant squirrels, disco suits and platform boots





We were awestruck by the ever inventive costumes that transform fully grown actors into pint-sized Oompa-Loompas. Forget the tired old trick of walking on knees: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is well-deserving of its Olivier for best costume design, and the wardrobe department is as innovative as you’d expect.

Our favourites, the Vidiots from Mike Teavee’s techno demise, make the ensemble look like one Oompa carrying another on his shoulders. The attention to detail in pulling this illusion off is even better up close. Perfectly duplicated orange boots, a deluge of shiny videot hats and an ample supply of blusher (to both skin and silicone) bring the doppelgängers to life.



Photograph by Tasha Turan (c)

In production, when the lights go down, the strobes come up, exuding from every facet of each Videot's costume and the result is completely enchanting.

Then in the Disco-tastic 1970s style demise of Violet Beauregarde, the Oompa-Loompas prance around in towering platforms (pictured above), we suggest observing closely to see if you can solve the mysterious location of their feet. Get good seats, fix your eyes on those shoes and you might just suss them out…




Throw in lightening quick changes (on average three minutes) and live singing throughout and the Oompa-Loompas might just be the hardest working troupe on the West End…


See the magic for yourself & book tickets for the whole family

BOOK TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW

EXTRA CHRISTMAS PERFORMANCES ADDED



Share:

Roald Dahl

Family Theatre in London

London Musicals



You may also like:
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical, London 2015; photo by Matt Crockett

    Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Theatre Royal Drury Lane ★★★★★

  • Best things to do with Kids in London: on now

    Best things to do with kids in London: July edition

  • Genie (Trevor Dion Nicholas) in market surrounded by scarfs - photo by Johan Persson © Disney.jpg

    Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre review ★★★★★

  • Review: The Lorax, The Old Vic [STAR:4]

    Review: The Lorax, The Old Vic ★★★★★

  • Ben Forster as Buddy (centre) and the cast in Elf credit Alastair Muir

    REVIEW: Elf the Musical, Dominion Theatre ★★★★★

Your update on what’s on in London from theatre to visual arts, from fashion to pop-ups and more…
minimum six characters
 
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Your update on what’s on in London from theatre to visual arts, from fashion to pop-ups and more…
You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Stay tuned! (And check your email).


  • The Culture Whisper team
  • What is Culture Whisper membership
  • Corporate membership
  • Give a gift membership
  • Retrieve a gift membership
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper


Sign up by Email or Facebook.

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we sent newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×