Review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

You cant beat a West End musical for a fabulous family day out and we were lucky enough to be invited along to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane at the weekend. This was a major excitement for us as myself and the older children love Roald Dahl books and we all love west end musicals but this time was special as it was little Ned’s first ever experience.

And what a fantastic introduction to the sheer magic of musical theatre Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is. Little Ned is still talking about his experience and the magic lift- he really couldn’t fathom how it lifted itself off the ground and floated.

This is a show packed full of the most amazing sets which are truly mind-blowing, especially when you’re little. The songs are catchy and varied and are performed brilliantly. On Saturday we thought that Ross Dawes who played Willy Wonka was superb. We couldnt fault  the rest of the cast either, they were all great although I should make a particular mention to the actor who played Charlie. The children found the fact that one of their peers could appear in a West End show quite inspirational and i’ve been asked about opportunities ever since!

In terms of the show, we all thought it was fabulous. If I was being highly critical I suggest  that the second half, when they go around the factory, is far stronger than the first, in terms of the music and general entertainment. However, I don’t think you’d be disappointed at all.

We had an amazing day out, probably the best for a very long time. The children were delighted, inspired and amazed by the show and it was really nice to do something special like this as a family. This is the sort of thing that you wont forget as part of your children’s childhoods and I’m sure that when little Ned is much older we will still be talking about how amazed he was by the great glass elevator.

Have a little look for yourself: