Cover Michael Dalke, Oliver Wong and the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ cast (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
Michael Dalke, Oliver Wong and the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ cast (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
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Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ arrives in the Philippines with spectacular visuals, memorable performances and enough imagination to delight both children and adults alike
Among the recent wave of musicals arriving on Philippine stages, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical appeals across generations. Weeks before the curtains even rose, billboards and social media had already stirred anticipation among families, theatre lovers and those nostalgic for Roald Dahl’s eccentric world. By the time the production opened with its gala performance at the Theatre at Solaire, the excitement had proven well-founded, with children erupting with delight and adults laughing and applauding with equal enthusiasm. Every scene and musical number is a welcome surprise.
One need not know the Broadway score by heart to be swept up with emotions. Willy Wonka has long outgrown the page, becoming a cultural fixture through the original novel, the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp, and, more recently, Wonka with Timothée Chalamet. This musical leans into that familiarity, using its kaleidoscope of colour, whimsy and imagination as an invitation for audiences of all ages to step inside a world they already feel they know—before revealing there is still plenty left to discover.
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Above The cast of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
The cast of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
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The script and score remain faithful to the international production, but this local staging subtly makes the material its own. Filipino touches are incorporated into the performance without feeling forced.
Karylle brings tenderness to Mrs Bucket, particularly in a scene where Charlie, played by Oliver Wong, greets his mother with the traditional mano po. Michael Dalke, meanwhile, draws one of the evening’s biggest reactions when his Willy Wonka unexpectedly slips into Aegis’ Basang-Basa Sa Ulan, prompting cheers and awe from the audience. These additions never distract from the story; instead, they give the production a distinctly Filipino character while preserving the spirit of the original.
If the first act delights with spectacle and nostalgia, the second leans into the darker undercurrents that have always been part of Dahl’s story.
Wonka finally ushers Charlie and the other Golden Ticket winners—Augustus Gloop (Sam Nackman), Violet Beauregarde (Giselle Amarisa Watts), Veruca Salt (Allison Gann) and Mike Teavee (DJ Plunkett)—into his factory following a stirring rendition of Pure Imagination. What follows is a succession of cautionary tales in which each child meets a grisly fate. The production does not shy away from the story’s edge: Augustus becomes trapped in the chocolate machinery (his legs sticking out of the pumps!); Violet inflates and explodes beyond recognition; squirrels tear apart Veruca; and Mike is shrunk to miniature proportions.
While the 2005 film softened some of these moments, the musical embraces their theatricality, making them more vivid and more darkly comic.
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Above Michael Dalke in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
Michael Dalke in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
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Director Matt Lenz keeps the production moving at a lively pace, balancing its darker moments with an infectious sense of play. The staging strings together physical comedy, dance and illusion in a way that keeps each scene feeling fresh.
There is a joyful transparency to some of the stagecraft—you may occasionally spot the mechanics behind a trick (the strings attached to the props, the people in all black)—but that only adds to its charm. From inflatable costumes to the clever combination of puppetry and perspective that brings the Oompa-Loompas to life, the production never loses its sense of wonder.
Despite its more immersive and technological approach (with how they utilised the LED monitors on stage and projections on the walls of the theatre itself), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical never loses sight of what has made Dahl’s story endure for generations. Beneath the dazzle is a story of courage to dream when life offers very little.
Above Michael Dalke, Oliver Wong and the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ cast (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
Michael Dalke, Oliver Wong and the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical’ cast (Photo: courtesy of GMG Productions)
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For families searching for their next outing, this is an easy recommendation. The musical delivers exactly what audiences hope for when they step inside Wonka’s factory: an evening filled with wonder, laughter and magic. Its visuals, local touches and heartfelt performances ensure there is something to delight every generation. What lingers after the show ends is the feeling that, for a little while, the world was just a bit more imaginative than before.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
