Events
CTORA Theatres: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
On October 12th, CTORA Productions began their fifteen-day takeover of the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre with the opening night show for their latest stage play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Last year I had the pleasure of attending CTORA Production’s adaptation of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, so I was excited to see what they had in store for their take on Roald Dahl’s classic story about the young dreamer Charlie Bucket and his town's eccentric chocolate maker Willy Wonka.
This is a story I’m familiar with through the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but more so because of the 2005 adaptation (Charlie and the Charlie Factory) that starred Johnny Depp. So it was hard not to go into this without a preconceived idea of what this story is and should be based on my own experiences with it.
What I appreciated most about this interpretation was how they reimagined some of the characters to blend better into 2024 without losing the essence of what they were originally created to be back in 1964. The life lessons each character is meant to represent remain fully intact, and the production team did a stellar job of amplifying that by crafting worlds around those colourfully wild personalities that really enhanced certain moments in the story.
While the production and set pieces were top-notch, the stage play itself fell a bit flat due to some uneven pacing and poor stage placement.
Maybe this is a me problem, but I felt the beginning of the story dragged and felt exhaustingly repetitive, and it didn’t help that the placement of Charlie’s family felt so distant when compared to the stage and the audience, which created a disconnect for me when trying to initially invest in the story.
There was also a part in the middle where the audience was meant to fully engage their own imagination as sound effects were used to guide the characters through this obstacle of some sort, but when compared to how well produced the rest of the sets are, it felt like a dramatic tonal shift from a stage play to watching improve. That’s not a dig on improve at all (which I love); it’s just a curious choice when compared to how the rest of the play was executed.
Charlie’s story is only as good as it’s Wonka and as incredible as Daniel Curalli’s voice was—he just didn’t work for me as Wonka. This has more to do with me enjoying Johnny Depp’s version of the character, and when having something to compare it to, it’s hard not to have a stylistic preference.
And before I move on, I need to make it clear that Daniel Curalli vocals were phenomenal and was the main reason the show ends as strong as it does.
Also, I have to note that Joshua Severyn, as Augustus, to me - stole the show and was a prime example of how there are no small roles, just small actors.
The play hit enough of the right beats to be worth a family outing and further solidified Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre as one of my favourite venues to watch stage plays.
Enjoy the Show! 🍿 🎥
Runtime: 2.5 hours (Including Intermission)
Dates: October 12 - 27, 2024
Venue: Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre
Where to Buy Tickets: https://ctora.ca/tickets
Note: CTORA Theatre is a not-for-profit organization providing opportunities for emerging artists to perform in professionally staged productions. This allows job opportunities for local theatre artists.