Michael Ball to star in new production of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Based on Roald Dahl's beloved children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory follows young Charlie Bucket, who embarks on the adventure of a lifetime when he wins a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonky's extraordinary, world-famous chocolate factory. Alongside his Grandpa Joe and other lucky children like Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee, Charlie steps into a world where nothing is as it seems: where chocolate rivers flow, Oompa-Loompas sing, inventions defy imagination, and every room holds a delicious surprise - and the enigmatic factory owner and eccentric inventor Willy Wonka has a few surprises up his sleeve...

This new musical adaptation has a book by David Greig and is directed by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster. It will feature much-loved songs from the 1971 film adaptation, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, like Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket, along with an original score by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Olivier Award-winning, Grammy nominated, multi-platinum recording artist Michael Ball OBE will star as Willy Wonka, one of Dahl's most memorable characters, who has previously been played on film by Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp, and Timothee Chalamet. Ball is one of Britain's most beloved entertainers and one of the UK's leading figures in musical theatre. He's previously played Edna Turnblad in the original West End production of Hairspray, the title role in the Adelphi Theatre production of Sweeney Todd (which won him an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical), and originated the role of Marius in the original West End production of Les Miserables.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will play a strictly limited season at the London Coliseum from 4 June to 18 September 2027, with a press night on 20 June.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tickets