CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Previews — Page 17

Almira what show did you see last night??? I was there too and thought the show was absolutely awful. Most people like myself are expecting a huge spectacle when Wonka opens the door to his factory. It was a glass box about the size of a king size bed....that's it! The entire show was corny and I think the public will be fooled after seeing all of the hype on TV and ads all over NYC. Borle was great but easily replaceable by any comedic Broadway actor. I was really disappointed in the entire production because I was hoping it would be like the movie (either the 1971 version or the 2005 version) and it wasn't even close.

I don't know if that theory plays out. "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" was a stinker in New York, and just had a brief non-equity tour. I think if it is bad, word spreads around the country, particularly with something so well known. "Finding Neverland" was sort of average (at best) and that made it on the road, though...

If they really wanted to go all in with the imagination and minimalist sets, it seems to me that it would have actually been really cool to go the route of Peter and the Starcatcher in terms of sets and costumes. The music is big and flashy, which makes things a bit more difficult, but with a more modest show and a more inventive yet simple set, it could play super well at even a smaller theater.

With the huge set it had in London, it may have struggled to fit even in the Gershwin.

Or at least a scaled down version of the Drury Lane - however though they made no attempt. Sad

Well, even if the show is as bad as many of you say it is, and it gets correspondingly negative reviews, I still think it could have a successful tour. Look at the dreck of FINDING NEVERLAND, which somehow managed to last on Broadway despite negative reviews, and is now touring the country. There is a pre-sold element to this show, thanks to the book and the movie, and kids will want to see it.

evic said: "Amazing that a show has huge advance based solely on the title.....moral is.....you take a risk buying tix and can wind up with crap.......have there been many walkouts or do people stay and roll their eyes?.

Was it title or the fact that Christian Borle was cast as Wonka? Of course I am a huge Borle fan, but I think others also thought between him and the fact that it was supposed to be completely redone from London that it had a good shot at being great.



The thing that I can't get over hearing about is the sets. I mean in some ways it seems kind of like a no brainer to make an over the top set-lots of color and candy. I mean go with the More is More attitude and you'd probably hit it just right!

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HGorn said: "The Lunt has staged many productions through the years with big sets. They could have definitely put this set in there (https://youtu.be/XodF7sI1kbw). Instead they went the cheap route and it's just too bad"



Is any of what is in that teaser onstage at the Lunt?

All this talk of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang reminds me how much I surprisingly enjoyed that show

As much as everyone is saying the sets in London were so amazing, one of the biggest complaints from the critics about the West End production when it opened was that the sets were veering on so spectacular they overwhelming the humanity of the production. Maybe they were doing trying to account for that on Broadway, but maybe they over-corrected for Broadway. Or maybe they forgot Americans want to see their money on stage.

DAME said: "Why don't you at least try selling them on StubHub at cost so that you at least make your money back.
Or you can go and either be pleasantly surprised or be able to claim you attended a turkey and have a story to tell."
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Dearest Dame,

Thanks for the Stub Hub suggestion. I have listed my single tickets for both Charlie and Amelie there. Will be in NYC in June and am hoping that they will sell so that I can choose other shows.
Not certain why I opted for Amelie because I saw the production at the Berkeley Rep here on the left coast and enjoyed it with Samantha Barks in the title role. Little seems to have changed in the show except for Ms. Soo and I can die without seeing her interpretation.
As for Charlie, even if a miracle occurs prior to opening and the show becomes a hit I can always do a mea culpa and see it in June 2018.
I'll be holding on to my Hello, Dolly!, Groundhog Day, War Paint and Sunset Blvd. tix and perhaps add Great Comet and Evan Hansen or Miss Saigon, but at any rate my five days should be jam-packed with a potpourri of productions.
Finally, as a bit of "Six Degrees Of Ethel Merman" my nephew's husband is Andy Karl's dresser so I shall probably get a private photo op with him just like I did at Rocky. Such a sweet and talented guy.







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Updated On: 3/31/17 at 08:58 PM

jayinchelsea said: "Well, even if the show is as bad as many of you say it is, and it gets correspondingly negative reviews, I still think it could have a successful tour. Look at the dreck of FINDING NEVERLAND, which somehow managed to last on Broadway despite negative reviews, and is now touring the country. There is a pre-sold element to this show, thanks to the book and the movie, and kids will want to see it.



"

FN lasted because of Matthew Morrison. Just take a look at the grosses after his departure.

To be fair, FN was very crafty about keeping people confused as to who was actually in the show at any given time.