“Charlie and The Chocolate Factory” Opens at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

(June 25, 2013 – London, U.K.) Fans lined the street outside the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane for the opening night of the world premiere stage production of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” directed by Sam Mendes. More than 70,000 people have already seen the show since it began previews in May. Guests from both sides of the Atlantic included Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Matthew Morrison, Jane Krakowski, Anna Friel, Bille Piper, Lily Allen, Luke Treadaway and Jessica Raine. Also in attendance were Roald Dahl’s daughters Lucy and Ophelia Dahl, and his widow Felicity Dahl. The producers of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” announced that the show has extended its run to May 31, 2014, with an extra half a million tickets going on sale on the morning of June 26, 2013. When Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it’s the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he’s always dreamed of. But beyond the gates astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors, and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems. Roald Dahl’s deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a brand new West End musical directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes. Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Grammy winners for “Hairspray”; “Smash”), a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig (“Midsummer”; “Creditors”; “Tintin In Tibet”), set and costume designs by Mark Thompson (“Mamma Mia!”; “One Man, Two Guvnors”) and choreography by Peter Darling (“Billy Elliot”; Matilda). Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor Douglas Hodge plays Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Alongside Douglas Hodge, the cast includes Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe, Clive Carter as Mr. Salt, Jasna Ivir as Mrs. Gloop, Paul J. Medford as Mr. Beauregarde, Iris Roberts as Mrs. Teavee, Billy Boyle as Grandpa George, Roni Page as Grandma Josephine and Myra Sands as Grandma Georgina. A total of seventeen children share the roles of the five lucky Golden Ticket winners. Douglas Hodge is an Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor and four-time Olivier-nominated actor/director, who has worked at the National Theatre, the RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Court Theatre. On Broadway, he recently starred at the American Airlines Theatre in the title role of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” for the Roundabout Theatre Company. He won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his Broadway debut in “La Cage Aux Folles,” having already won the Olivier Award for the same performance in London. For ten years he worked closely with Harold Pinter, and he was Associate Director at the Donmar from 2007 to 2009. He has released two albums of his own compositions, “Cowley Road Songs” and “Nightbus,” and won the Stiles and Drewe 2012 Best New Song Award for “Powercut.” Alongside numerous television credits, his feature films include “Vanity Fair,” “Robin Hood,” the soon to be released “Serena,” and “Diana” – in which he plays Paul Burrell, butler to Diana, Princess of Wales. Full cast: Douglas Hodge, Nigel Planer, Clive Carter, Jasna Ivir, Paul J. Medford, Iris Roberts, Billy Boyle, Roni Page, Myra Sands, Joe Allen, David Birch, Alex Louize Bird, Michelle Bishop, Simon Campbell, Matthew Clark, Alex Clatworthy, Jennifer Davison, Ross Dawes, Nia Fisher, Kate Graham, Derek Hagen, Clare Halse, Mark Iles, Daniel Ioannou, Kieran Jae, Mireia Mambo Bokele, Jane McMurtrie, Natalie Moore-Williams, Sherrie Pennington, Damien Poole, Antony Reed, Paul Saunders, Jack Shalloo, Jay Webb, Jack Costello, Tom Klenerman, Isaac Rouse, Louis Suc, Harrison Slater, Jenson Steele, Regan Stokes, Polly Allen, Tia Noakes, Ellie Simons, Inda Ria Amarteifio, Adrianna Bertola, Jade Johnson, Mya Olaye, Jay Heyman, Adam Mitchell and Luca Toomey. This world premiere musical is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions. Further information is available from the website: www.CharlieandtheChocolateFactory.com
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