Four of the Golden Ticket winners and other members of the cast of the spectacular new musical Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have been announced today. Roald Dahl’s delicious tale will be playing only in Sydney at the Capitol Theatre from 5 January 2019.
Augustus Gloop – a greedy boy who enjoys eating, the first person to find a Golden Ticket, will be played by Jake Fehily, and his mother, Mrs Gloop, will be Octavia Barron Martin. Veruca Salt, an only child whose parents spoil her excessively and who finds the second Golden Ticket, will be played by Karina Russell and her father Mr Salt by Stephen Anderson.
Jayme-Lee Hanekom will play the third person to find one of Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets, Violet Beauregard – a competitive and determined child who takes great pride in her record-breaking gum-chewing abilities, with Madison McKoy as Mr Beauregard. Harrison Riley will play Mike Teavee, the fourth Golden Ticket winner who is obsessed with TV and gadgets and is far less keen on people, with Jayde Westaby as his mother Mrs Teavee.
Also in the wonderfully talented cast are Johanna Allen, Sheridan Anderson, Hayden Baum, Kanen Breen, Bayley Edmends, Bronte Florian, Todd Goddard, Madison Green, David Hammond, Sasha Lian-Diniz, Aaron Lynch, Jordon Malone, Kassie Martin, Phoenix Mendoza, Adam Noviello, Danielle O’Malley, Jackson Reedman, Emma Russell, Taylor Scanlan and Thalia Smith.
Producers John Frost, Craig Donnell, Warner Bros Theatre Ventures, Langley Park Productions and Neal Street Productions are thrilled with their talented cast. “What a gloriously talented bunch of performers will make up our Australian cast,” they said. “The world fell in love with Roald Dahl’s bewitching tale when the book was released, then filmgoers adored the 1971 film with Gene Wilder. Now this fabulous cast will enchant audiences with the story once again on stage.”
“This is such a wonderful story for generations to share,” added John Frost. “Grandparents love taking their grandkids, and parents love sharing their favourite Willy Wonka film from their childhood with their children. We have an amazing cast to bring this story to life, and I can’t wait to shortly reveal our Willy Wonka, the Bucket family and the four boys who will share the role of Charlie.”
Step inside a world of pure imagination. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film including Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket – alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is perhaps Roald Dahl’s best-known story and has proved to be one of the most enduring children’s books of all time. The story of Charlie Bucket, the five Golden Tickets, the Oompa-Loompas and the amazing Willy Wonka has become firmly embedded in our culture since it was first published in 1964. Conservative estimates suggest the original book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide; it is now available in 60 languages.
Now it’s Australia’s chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for the Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory plays Sydney’s Capitol Theatre from 5 January 2019. For more information, visit: www.charliethemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Bayley Edmends, Sasha Lian-Diniz, Harrison Riley, Jayme-Lee Hanekom, Karina Russell and Hayden Baum – photo by Brian Geach