Culture
REVIEW: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical at the Mayflower Theatre
Tonight, Willy Wonka welcomed the chocolate factory into his Southampton. Wait, scratch that – now reverse it. Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is a story that we all know and love very well. Whether that be from the book itself, Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp’s interpretations, or even the anticipation for Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Wonka!’ – it’s a family favourite! The same story has been told in a number of different ways and you can now relive that magic through song and dance once again. David Greig’s stage adaptation started on London’s West-End in 2013 before making its way to Broadway in 2017 and back to the UK and Ireland in 2023 for its first ever tour. Stage adaptation of books aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, especially when they are as well known as this. So how do you bring such a monumental piece of art to life in a different and exciting way without ruining the story? Theatre magic!
This isn’t your average ‘story-book’ telling of ‘Charlie’, (what I’ll be referencing the musical as from now on), but a new and inventive twist on the same characters and world we’re so familiar with now. I won’t bore you with a synopsis of the general narrative of the show but it features everything you’d expect it to from chocolate, to glass elevators, to lots more chocolate. One thing that was particularly impressive throughout the show was the choreography between set movement, the actors on stage, and the interaction with the set and lighting. Director, James Brining, has clearly worked extremely closely with each and every member of the company to ensure that the ‘theatre magic’ is as immersive and extraordinary as possible. As he said, “we could all do with some joyful escapism and what better way to do that than to be transported away to Roald Dahl’s magical world of hope and dreams”.
When it comes to the cast, everybody put 100% into what they were doing and it really shows. A lot of the cast had double roles so were always switching up between scenes and despite the show pretty much being the story of 5 different children, there was actually only 1 child in the cast and that was Charlie. The actors that did play the other 4 children did their jobs brilliantly. After the first couple of minutes I had forgotten that they were adults acting as children, job well done! I think it’s pretty obvious but Gareth Snook who played the role of ‘Willy Wonka’ was just fantastic. He was the perfect mix of Wilder and Depp whilst still being his own character at the same time. Adding in his singing and comedic monologues – Brilliant! Michael D’Cruze who played the role of ‘Grandpa Joe’, was also a stand out performer. His character helped in bringing the audience into the correct tone or feeling for each particular scene, as if we were living through how he was reacting on stage. Fantastic work! But of course we can’t forgot the role of ‘Charlie Bucket’ who was played by the incredibly talented Harmony Raine-Riley. Harmony was brilliant from the first moment she stepped onto the stage. The whole audience was captivated by every word she was saying/singing and at such a young age to take control of an audience that size… Bravo!
I’d also like to give a special shout-out to Leonie Spilsbury who played the roles of ‘Mrs Bucket/Mrs Teavee’. Whenever she was playing Mrs Bucket – whilst talking and singing, she was also signing using Makaton sign language. Lots of other characters in the ‘Bucket Household’ were also using Makaton when speaking but Spilsbury was signing nearly the whole time and doing so really well. It’s very refreshing to see actors signing being incorporated into the story line and it was a fantastic idea to do so. Really amazing work!
For me what really made this show was the set, lighting and illusions. This is what the ‘theatre magic’ was all about. Simon Higlett (set & costume designer) and Tim Mitchell (lighting designer) have hit the nail on the head when it comes to bringing the magic to life! There were so many different set changes with big intricate movements that literally brought the chocolate factory to life. This mixed with the scarily impressive lighting and video partnership (Simon Wainwright, video designer), meant that actors interactions with set were extremely simple but had such a huge impact on the audience. There were multiple times that the audience could be heard audibly gasping at the sites they were seeing. These gasps would have also been a big thanks to Chris Fisher (illusions), who again bought the magic to life right in front of our eyes with practical illusions on both minor and major scales. My only wish was that they’d gone bigger with some of their illusions to ensure that they don’t get undermined or lost. Other than that, flawless!
You of course can’t have a musical without the music. As well as including the original 1970’s motion picture classics of ‘The Candy Man’ and ‘Pure Imagination’, there is a whole new set of original songs from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Personally I thought the music was the correct accompaniment to the story and Musical Supervisor and Director (David Shrubsole and Ellen Campbell), managed to hit every beat perfectly – excuse the pun. They really helped to control the mood of the show and portray the emotion of the characters onto the audience. With Shaiman and Wittman having also written the music for the Tony and Grammy award winning musical ‘Hairspray’, it’s no wonder the music was so good – we can ‘choc’ it up to experience…
But with all joking aside, this is the perfect soundtrack for the story and with a live orchestra, its even better!
Act 1 of the musical took us through the back story of the characters and finding each of the golden tickets. Although there is actually quite a lot to go through there, it just seemed as if not a lot really happened. The story felt quite slow paced and like we weren’t moving anywhere with any purpose very quickly. Granted, the majority of the first act does take place in the Bucket’s home so there isn’t much movement – but for me unfortunately it just fell a bit flat on the pace side of things. Act 2 ramped up considerably in pace and took us through the tour of the factory and losing each child. This was actually done very cleverly and everything I previously mentioned above all came together to make this possible. Without giving too much away, act 2 is also where we met the infamous ‘Oompa-Loompas’, but these weren’t little orange people with green hair – they were instead kind of terrifying. All I could think was Tim Burton meets the Tin-man (if you know you know). They certainly put their own spin on it and it was certainly a surprise, I’m just unsure if it was a welcomed one yet.
Despite this ‘Charlie’ managed to balance a story for children and adults alike flawlessly, creating a timeless classic that the whole family can enjoy. The magic of Roald Dahl’s mind was developing in real time right in front of our eyes through all of our senses. From the moment you walk into the theatre they pump a chocolate scent through the air and continue to do so for the duration of the show. It’s just a lovely added touch. I remember turning around in the interval and wishing I had some dark chocolate. Superb attention to detail. ‘Charlie’ has it’s tongue-in-cheek moments, as well as it’s darker moments which go hand in hand brilliantly, getting laughs and smiles from both adults and children. This is such an uplifting, inspiring, and feel-good musical that ironically leaves you not really having to use your imagination. The show is currently on it’s UK & Ireland tour and if it’s coming to a theatre near you it’s definitely worth a watch; just remember your chocolate! As the tour continues I wish the whole cast and company all the success and luck going forward.
If something looks perfect from the outside does it mean it actually is?
That’s the concept that director Jay Roach brings to life in the new movie The Roses released in August 2025.
The Roses is a reimagining of the 1989 film The War of the Roses which was originally based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel.
Although unlike the novel the characters instead are shown to struggle with their different careers either rising or falling.
It has been adapted, in my opinion, to make it resonate with women a lot more as in both the novel and first film the women were stay at home mothers who felt unsatisfied.
This appears to be one of the main reasons for the divorces with Barbara (Kathleen Turner) eventually turning to a catering business.
However, within the new modernised version Ivy’s (Olivia Colman) successful career is a point of contempt for Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch).
While it starts off with a more realistic depiction of parents struggling with the loss of a career and a start of a new one, it slowly divulges itself away from the typical divorcee movie.
I watched this movie at the Everyman (luxury I know!) and the grip it had on me as an audience member was outstanding.
With the selection of actors involved in this movie it’s no surprise that there is a mix of comedy and drama making it a satirical black comedy.
While it was delightful to watch, I feel that some audience members might criticise the realism of the movie.
Yet I go to the cinema to be transported from real life so the mix of realism and shock factor was highly entertaining.
A contrasting mix of comedy and darkness
The performances from the actors was exactly what the movie needed.
The chemistry, or lack thereof, between Colman and Cumberbatch was so believable that you would think that they were married in real life.
Their delivery of both the comedy and the rage was again so believable that it sucked me as the audience into what was the “dirty laundry” of their personal lives.
With a supporting cast including Andy Samberg, Allison Janney and others their characters mostly brought the comedy relief needed in to break the movie up.
They also gave us a contrast to the main relationship being shown which helped us recognise how some of the actions were exaggerated for our benefit.
However, some critics online have noted that while it is undeniably a satirical dark comedy, the dark comedy seemed to be held back some times, therefore not always giving it the edge it needed.
I think that for a 15 certificate movie it had just the right amount to stretch over its wide audience.
Another criticism that The Roses received was that the contrast between the comedy and cruelty was sometimes so abrupt that it didn’t hit as hard as it could have.
At some points the comedy seemed out of place which almost gave the film a sort of jarring feel as they changed between the emotions.
The ending is ambiguous which can have mixed reactions from the audience.
Some may like to have the movie tied up neatly at the end whereas others like that they can believe what they want to believe.
I am the latter in the case of this movie as I enjoyed the fact that I could believe either the more macabre ending or not.
To me the ending, without giving any spoilers, had me on the edge of my seat with a real 360 turn.
Again it had the perfect amount of shock factor and comedy which highlighted the overall tone throughout.
I felt that it drew the entire film together nicely especially with the ending performance from Coleman and Cumberbatch.
Winchester original artist Sam Bishop has been releasing music for almost a decade but after not releasing a new song for the last two years, Just a Little is set to be release this Friday, February 7th.
Sam first got into music when he was in secondary school, after watching Imagine Dragons in the O2 he fell in love with their support act.
As an only child he has always been a creative person, writing stories and songs in his free time.
The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
Sam also enjoyed:”I enjoy feeling nervous but eventually acting felt like second nature, so I decided to give music a go.”
After getting into music in school Sam released his first song in 2016.
“It has been trial and error since with each year getting better and better performing and writing more.”
I asked him whether he has always written his own songs, and he explained: “The first thought has never been how can I perform live but how can I write?
“That’s the angle I attack music with.”
For Sam music has always been a way to express how he feels.
But what’s the best part of the writing process?
Well, for Sam it’s the feeling of a song coming together as a whole, he compared the writing process to a tap, that it slowly drips until it starts to flow.
“You get a melody and a good lyric. It feels amazing when it all comes together it’s so special, it’s definitely a process it takes time and trial and error.”
Sam’s new single Just a Little, is no different, going through this same process, and has now come together ready for its release this Friday.
It all started in last summer, when Sam was on a flight from Miami to LA, he wasn’t interested in watching the typical films you find on airplanes, and felt creative, this is where the chorus for Just a Little was born.
Being away from family for a prolonged amount of time through working away and travelling gave Sam the feeling of wanting to be connected and keep in touch with people’s lives whilst being away.
Just a Little is about questioning whether you’re enough.
It’s a song full of vulnerability and expressing that and truly allowing yourself to feel those feelings.
After Sam’s travels he got home and revisited the song, from there it started to take off and really build.
He sent the song to his friend Toby who he describes as an unbelievable guitarist, and an excellent musician.
Toby then worked on the song as a production, whilst Sam worked on the lyrics.
Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
By mid-November the song was finished and now is the time for its release.
This song has a different sound to Sam’s previous songs, and he’s excited for people to hear this new style of music from him.
“It’s a very personal song washed under happy and jolly music.
“It’s very current and popular; something you’d expect to hear on the radio.”
Sam hopes that that the release allows people to connect with not just the lyrics but how the song feels.
Following the release Sam has big plans for the next year.
This is the start of a new sound for him, and he hopes more songs like this will follow with maybe one or two before the end of the year.
There are also a number of gigs to be announced for the next three months that he is looking forward to performing.
At the end of our interview Sam said: “Songs will happen, it’s what I love to do it’s so expressive as an art form and it’s something I will always want to do.
“Just a Little was kind of a one off, as a process it was very natural.
After not releasing a song for two years, once the lyrics were finished and he got the song back from Toby he knew this was the one that this would be the re-release of his music as an original artist.
Just a Little is out at midnight February 7th.
For announcements of new music and dates of performances you can follow Sam on Instagram @sambishopmusician.
The wait is over for Winchester’s burger lovers, as a new Five Guys restaurant has opened in the heart of the city centre.
The American burger chain, world famous for its customisable smash burgers and seemingly bottomless fries opened on Monday, December 2nd.
It was a soft launch without any ceremony for the restaurant, but the new staff and management immediately had a growing queue of customers on their hands.
Five Guys has taken one of three units from the former Debenhams department store. The other two are Nando’s which opened last month and Pizza Express.
Founded in Virginia in 1986, Five Guys launched in the UK in 2013 and has become a popular choice for burger lovers, including celebrities such as Tommy Fury, Mollie King, Ed Sheeran, and Maya Jama.
There are now 1,800 restaurants worldwide including 171 in the UK.
The new Winchester branch is expected to be a popular addition to the city’s food scene.
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