The reviews for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are in, and critics enjoyed the new musical like a bar of bittersweet baking chocolate with a side of skim milk. Whether you’re a lover of Roald Dahl’s 1964 book or the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder or even the 2005 film starring Johnny Depp, you’re likely to find yourself unsatisfied. It’s like chewing sugar-free bubble gum for two-and-a-half hours…you’ve had the real thing and liked it, but this is nothing like it and you’re not sure why you’re still chewing. Christian Borle works hard to make the most of a half-baked Wonka (as written), the actors playing the bratty kids are generally amusing, and the Oompa Loompa puppets are creative and fun…all elements which help to distract from the boredom. In the end, though, the performances aren’t necessarily the problem…it’s the musical itself. There just isn’t enough magic in the world to turn a boring block of wood into a tasty bar of chocolate.
NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Don’t expect a sugar rush from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the new musical that opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Sunday. This latest adaptation of Roald Dahl’s winningly sinister children’s story from 1964 is — thank heaven — no sweeter than the two film adaptations it inspired, starring Gene Wilder (1971) and…
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TIME OUT NEW YORK REVIEW OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Strangers with candy should be avoided, our parents warn. Roald Dahl urges us to grab the sugary goods—but be prepared for the consequences. Families who accept the treats currently proferred at the Lunt-Fontanne, though, are in for a rough time on Broadway. Joyless, shapeless and grating, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a…
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NBC NEW YORK REVIEW OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
The best thing about Broadway’s new “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” is the inventively savage and barbarous ways that all the Golden Ticket winners—except, that is, for Charlie Bucket—die…
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE REVIEW OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Malted milk balls, chocolate bars, sweet jars and other candied treats of all delights are stacked high in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. You’d expect that — right? — at a musical called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” a show based on the most famous and beloved of all the Roald Dahl grotesque masterpieces, the fantastic 1964…
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DEADLINE REVIEW OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
The producers of the stage musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, led by Warner Bros Theatre Ventures, have pulled a Harvey Weinstein. As Weinstein did with his stage version of Finding Neverland, they tossed most of the original U.K. production and came to Broadway with a fresh remake: Simplified production concept…
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