Cover Inside the gala premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Photo: courtesy of The Peninsula)
Inside the gala premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Photo: courtesy of The Peninsula)
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Willy Wonka’s invitation promised “an evening of wonder, magic and pure imagination”, and Hong Kong delivered. From the purple carpet at the Cultural Centre to a velvet-green Peninsula lobby overflowing with chocolate, the gala premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was as sweet as it gets
It’s not every night that an invitation arrives from Willy Wonka himself. On November 5, Tatler joined the guests at the Hong Kong gala premiere of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre, with the dress code, fittingly, set to “wonder and elegance”.
The Broadway production, which made its Hong Kong debut with this run, is a fresh take on Roald Dahl’s beloved 1964 novel, the story of a kind-hearted boy named Charlie Bucket who wins a golden ticket to tour the mysterious factory of the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.
Led in Hong Kong by Daniel Plimpton as Wonka and child actors Oliver Wong and Leo Caravano sharing the role of Charlie, the musical brings the tale to life with spectacular sets, magic and illusions. The production features original songs by the Grammy- and Tony-Award-winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, of Hairspray and Mary Poppins Returns fame, as well as classics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, including Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.
Cast members of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Photo: courtesy of The Peninsula)
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When the curtain came down, the evening was far from over. Guests crossed the street to The Peninsula, the production’s official hotel partner, where the party was well and truly under way. The grand dame on Salisbury Road had been draped in green velvet for the occasion, beginning with an emerald curtain installation at the hotel’s entrance that provided the night’s most photographed backdrop. Around 500 guests filled the hotel for what was billed as the Chocolate Garden Gala, including the show’s entire cast, its producers Simone Genett and Marc Routh of Broadway International Group, and Benjamin Vuchot, chief executive officer of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels. Also present was musician Jason Mraz, who was there to enjoy the evening rather than to sing, and who seemed to be having as much fun as everyone else.
The entertainment began beneath the lobby staircase, where a group of dancers, whimsically outfitted in oversized Wonka-style glasses and colourful wigs, whirled through a performance called The Golden Chocolate Temptation, playfully interacting with the crowd and making the lobby feel like a factory floor.
Then came the chocolate—and it was everywhere. Led by executive chef Maxime Luvara, the hotel’s culinary team built a series of Wonka-inspired stations. A towering chocolate sculpture called Pure Imagination, by executive pastry chef Wilson Lai, set the scene, accompanied by three giant chocolate fountains—dark, milk and white—with fruit and other treats for dipping. At Wonka’s Vault, guests made their own truffles with a little help from the kitchen team, while The Toasting Meadow offered guests marshmallows to toast over a flame. The Everlasting Gobstopper was a flavour-morphing treat that kept shifting on the tongue, and Sweet Deceptions was an installation of savoury creations disguised as desserts. Those with an adventurous palate also had a particularly daring option: a chocolate lollipop flavoured with salmon, soy sauce and avocado, exactly the sort of curiosity Wonka himself would have approved of. Themed cocktails and mocktails kept the party flowing.
It was a night that celebrated what makes Dahl’s story so enduring: the joy of imagination and the thrill of being invited. By the time they left at the end of the evening, guests were buzzing—not only from the likely sugar high, but also with enough memories to tell stories of their own for weeks to come.
As Content Director at Tatler Hong Kong, Tara shapes the brand's editorial vision across social, digital and print. She also drives the planning and execution of Tatler's flagship IPs. In her dual role as Head of VIP, she reports on Asia's most influential figures — from CEOs and leaders across business, style and the arts — curates star-studded events, and builds the relationships and communities that define the brand. Born and raised in the Middle East, she honed her craft in Dubai, building communication strategies for luxury brands across the Gulf. Follow her on Instagram @tarasobti.
