West End musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane earlier this year, has announced it is to hold auditions for all its’ child roles, including the lead role of Charlie Buckett, with an audition posting on The Stage today.
The musical, helmed by the upcoming BOND 24 director Sam Mendes, is an adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s most famous childrens books that brought the wonderful world of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory to life with a multi-million pound budget. The five golden ticket winners, Charlie Buckett, Veruca Salt. Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee and Augustus Gloop each receive introductory set pieces to remember and, for some, an even more memorable demise. Read what we thought of each in our opening night review.
Here’s the casting details released today:
Charlie
8 – 12 yr old boy, under 4ft 8in
A talented actor with innocent appearance,
lean frame and natural singing voice.
Veruca Salt
9 – 12 yr old girl, under 4ft 8in
A charismatic actress and excellent ballet dancer
(grade 4 or above).
Violet Beauregarde
9 – 12 yr old girl, under 4ft 8in
A skilled rapper with a brash attitude.
Able to do an American accent.
Mike Teavee
9 – 12 yr old boy, under 4 ft 8 in
A highly physical street dancer with lots of energy.
Able to do an American accent.
Augustus Gloop
9 – 12 yr old boy, under 5 ft
A corpulent boy and a good singer.
Able to do a German accent.
If you caught Channel 4’s The Sound of Musical’s earlier this week you will have seen one young actor originally cast as Augustus Gloop removed from the cast weeks before opening night due to his voice breaking. The announcement of these auditions would suggest the actors who began the Charlie and Chocolate Factory journey may soon find themselves too old to play in Willy Wonka’s land of pure imagination.
Source: The Stage
