The show itself may be classed as a ‘slow burner’.  From the start we meet the Bucket family.  Our Charlie for this performance was Jessie-Lou Harvie who is a shining star with a beautifully melodic singing voice which also delivered power and confidence throughout.  The role of Charlie is played by both male and female performers throughout this tour which brings a wonderful change to this classic story.  Charlie’s bed-bound Grandparents provided an array of humorous quips and some lovely harmonies during their opening number.  Michael D’Cruze plays Grandpa Joe with a caring quality and worked very well with Jessie-Lou.  It was also refreshing to hear Jessie-Lou’s Scottish accent in all its glory on stage, I have to admit to love hearing a regional accent, so this pleased me no end!

As the story builds, we meet the rest of the winners of the ‘Golden Tickets’ in the shape of Augustus Gloop (Robin Simoes Da Silva), Violet Beauregarde (Marisha Morgan), Veruca Salt (Kazmin Borrer) and Mike Teavee (Teddy Hinde), all of whom provided much hilarity throughout.  As we got inside the factory and each of these characters removed themselves in the most wacky and wonderful ways, the sight of a fully inflated blueberry to signify Violet’s demise had me crying with laughter, and it was at this point that I realised that the show was ok with not taking itself too seriously and to just be a fun experience for children and adults alike.