Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - The Musical has received plenty of critical acclaim, both in the West End and on Broadway. Guaranteed to ‘dazzle the senses’, the show stops off in Birmingham this autumn as part of its first UK tour. What’s On recently caught up with Gareth Snook, who plays colourful character Willie Wonka, to find out why the Roald Dahl classic remains so popular...

Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka is one of the most colourful characters in children’s literature. The eccentric owner of the Wonka Chocolate Factory, Willy invites five winners of golden tickets for a tour - but little do they know the trip is not going to be quite what they expect.

In typical Dahl style, we’re never quite sure what to make of Wonka - is he a benevolent force for good like The BFG or a scary child-hater like one of The Witches?
Gareth Snook, who is currently playing the character in the UK tour of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - The Musical, which comes to Birmingham Hippodrome in September, believes the sweets impresario is often misjudged.
“I understand there have been reviews of the show where they’ve said that Willy is a sinister character, but I don’t agree,” he says. “Adults might think he is, but I don’t think children do; children love him. And the kids in the story get themselves into trouble. Willy tells them it’s dangerous - ‘don’t touch that waterfall’ or ‘spit out that gum’ - but they don’t listen to him, and that’s the moral of the story.”

Gareth, whose lengthy theatre biography includes The Phantom Of The Opera, Fiddler On The Roof, Les Misérables, Aspects Of Love, Company, Cats, Sunset Boulevard, My Fair Lady and Show Boat, couldn’t resist the challenge of portraying Wonka on stage.
“Who is going to turn down the part of Willy Wonka? It’s such a challenge to do him. You’ve got to make him your own, so it was discovering a lot about myself as well, and making decisions about what I think the character should be. 

“He is often misunderstood. In our version, he’s not seen a human being for 40 years; in the book it’s 10, but we make it 40. He shuts the factory down because his employees stole all his recipes and his ideas and set up their own chocolate factories and betrayed him, and he is very scarred by this. He shuts everyone out, and then suddenly the lights go back on again and people start asking who’s working there because no-one goes in and no-one comes out. 

“It’s all about discovering what I think are the essential characteristics of Willy Wonka and whether I could relate to them - and I can. Strangely enough, the director said to me in rehearsals ‘I’m not quite sure where Willy Wonka ends and Gareth begins.’ I think that means I’m achieving what I really want to achieve, where the outlines are blurred slightly. I always think that in order to play a character really well, you have to fall in love with them. And I really have with Willy; I feel very protective of him.”

Published in 1964, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory was a huge bestseller and has remained a firm family favourite ever since. It was screened in 1971 as Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, with Gene Wilder as Wonka. In 2005 Johnny Depp took the role in Tim Burton’s movie version. 

It was via the 1971 film that Gareth discovered the story: “Strangely enough, I didn’t know it as a child. I’m the youngest of five kids and for some reason those books weren’t in our house. There were plenty of other books passed down from my elder brothers and sisters but not Roald Dahl books. So I came to the story firstly via the film with Gene Wilder, who I think is a genius. I’m a massive fan.”

So why does Gareth think Charlie And The Chocolate Factory has remained popular for nearly 60 years?
“The characters are so vivid. I think we can safely say he wrote for children - although like a lot of great literature for children, his stories also appeal to adults. I think children reading about children in children’s books - that’s where Dahl’s genius is, because he understood them. He understood how naughty children appeal to children because every child loves to see something naughty inside them.

“The story is fascinating, and the way it’s staged in this musical is so engaging. If you didn’t know anything about the story at all, then you’re immediately engaged. We meet this Charlie Bucket, and his family are all very humble, and Charlie is very bright and he writes his own inventions late at night when he’s in bed. He’s fascinated by Willy Wonka - but when Charlie arrives at the factory, Willy doesn’t even notice him. 

“Willy Wonka is far more interested in the other children who go into the factory - they are more vivid characters. But then they all disappoint him because they get into trouble and mess up his factory and don’t listen to him. And then he’s left with one child, and gradually he realises that Charlie is him.”
Bearing in mind Gareth is playing a character who owns a chocolate factory, he has been receiving some unexpected presents at the stage door.

“People keep sending me chocolates! I’m a huge fan of chocolate and keep getting parcels off strangers, so I’m very happy with that - although there’s only so many times I can let out the waistline of my trousers! I’m a very plain man - give me any chocolate with mint or orange in it and I’m very happy. And truffles - they’re the best.”

As a chocolate fan, Gareth is certainly looking forward to visiting Birmingham - the home of Cadbury’s. He’s also eagerly anticipating his return to the Hippodrome.

“It’s a glorious theatre, one of the number ones for touring musicals. If you’re in a tour and it doesn’t go to Birmingham, you’re asking why. The last time I toured, which was about 10 years ago, we took The Full Monty there, so my last memory of that theatre is being onstage naked! But I’m not planning on doing that again - Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is a family show!”

While Gareth might love the two Charlie films, he says the live experience is special. 
“I think the stage is a great place for this story; it’s found its home. Theatre is at its best when you start looking in the mirror and seeing yourself in the characters or in the world that you’ve witnessed. I think that’s what audiences will take away from this show. All the children watching will secretly see a bit of themselves in Veruca Salt or Mike Teavee, and that is very engaging for children; to see themselves there. And don’t forget that we’re all big kids at heart, so adults love it as well.”

by Diane Parkes