The CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Musical Is Headed to Broadway!
Here’s another excuse for me to take a trip to New York in the near future. A Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical is headed to Broadway! The musical has already had success in London with director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, Specter), but now Americans will have the opportunity to get their Golden Ticket to see it.
The play is being produced by Warner Bros. Theater Ventures and will start in the spring of 2017. It is based on Roald Dahl’s best-selling novel and also draws inspiration from the classic 1977 movie. This version of the show will not be directed by Mendes, instead, it will be directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien (Hairspray, Henry IV). Mendes said in a statement to EW:
“I loved directing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I’m really proud it’s having such great run at Drury Lane. But I knew I couldn’t marry the time commitment to make a Broadway production with the development of my next projects. As such I am thrilled to be turning the keys to the Broadway Chocolate Factory over to the brilliant Jack O’Brien.”
O’Brien offered his thoughts on taking on the development of the show and what he plans on doing with it:
“Why does Wonka want to do this Golden Ticket contest and what compels him to want to give it all away? I started with the question why. This is the dramatic premise I hang the whole show on. Sam and I have both spent our careers putting our personal spin on classics, be it by William Shakespeare or Roald Dahl. Since the first production was created for London, it’s only fair we do an American version, and in America, our connection is to the 1971 movie and the indelible impression of Gene Wilder as the slyly wicked Wonka. The score will pay homage to the beloved Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley songs that are integral to the American relationship to the story, combined with all new songs crafted by the American team that created one of Broadway’s most beloved scores, Hairspray.”
I’m such a huge fan of of this story, and there’s no doubt it will make for an entertaining, high-energy musical.