Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (NY)

Excellent display, all the family love the singing and the humor.

Overall good. We really enjoyed the creative wall designs (pipes and chutes) outside the theatre on the way in. Chris Borle (Willy Wonka) and Jake Flynn (Charlie Bucket) and John Rubinstein (GRANDPA JOE) were very good. It was disappointing that older actors played the other children for this performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Charlie was so good it would have been wonderful to see some other child stars. Using the life size squirrels to rip Veruca "limb by limb" seemed so unnecessary rather than send her down the chute. While I could appreciate some of the adult language/sarcasm, a lot of it was unnecessary as well given families are bringing their kids for entertainment. The show could stand on its own without these additions. The inventing room with Mike Teavee was my favorite - creative and nicely done! The edible "chocolate room" scene, the glass elevator, the Wonka costume on Charlie for curtain call - all great!

My only problem was with the seating arrangements. The woman behind me purchased a seat for her 3 year old. However, chose to place her on her lap. Thus resulting in the child literally kicking me in the head. I was in K108 and k110 and she sat behind me in the row above.

The actors were amazing! My kids loved it! The show was very entertaining and made our mouths water. We ended up buying a snack at intermission because we were craving chocolate. Well done!

Let's start with the positive: The cast is great, especially the lead actor Christian Boyle. The songs are a mix of known and new and a lot of fun. When "Pure Imagination" starts, the audience goes wild. There is a lot of humor, and the Oompa-Loompas are especially amusing. The negative: The show lacks enough heart to have an impact. The audience should explode when Charlie finally gets the factory in Act 2, yet we are left feeling nothing. The transition from the humorous to that impactful moment is abrupt, clunky, and ineffective. The lack of heart, overall, in the show could diminish its stay on Broadway as the emotional arc isn't fully developed or realized for Charlie. Plus, there's no magic. The sets are minimal and cheap looking (it felt very high school production). They have the great screens behind that they use once to make it look like water (for a boat scene), yet never again. So much could have been done to immerse the audience in the magic of the chocolate factory using visual elements projected on these screens, but that never happens. It is such a missed opportunity to take the show to the next level and a big disappointment. I hope this is fixed.

I went on April 7th with my son's (age 21 & 23) who grow up reading the book and seeing the original movie with Gene Wilder. We weren't sure what to expect and were absolutely amazed. The music, the cast, and the sets were just wonderful. One surprise after another. Christian Borle, Jake Flynn, John Rubinstein, Emily Padgett, and the rest of the cast were perfect for the roles. The Oompa-Loompas made me giggle throughout the show. What a wonderful show for the whole family!

The performance was fantastic, all parts were played brilliantly and the singing was fantastic

Wonderful Moment!!!All the family enjoyed this incredible show

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a wonderful and hysterically funny show, featuring some of the songs from the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka movie with some new songs. Very entertaining. Highly recommended.

Loved the show. My son who has autism was engaged at all times. He said it was incredible.

My granddaughter loved the show from beginning to end. The music was wonderful.

Loved, loved, loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! A must see, perfect for all ages. Music and sets were fantastic, enjoyed every minute.

Absolutely amazing! If you want to see something different...this os your show!

I have seen multiple shows but, Charlie Chocolate Factory was by far, the Best of them all. It was SUPERB!

This was the third time I saw the production and I loved it just as much as the first time I saw it!!! My friend, whom I told she had to see it, loved it too..... hoping to see it again a fourth time!!! FANTASTIC!!!!

There are 3 kids that play Charlie Bucket. We thought Ryan Foust the one at the performance we saw was absolutely amazing. Great poise and voice and energy. Christian Borle as Willie doesn't really do much in the first act but is wonderful in the second act where he does more. Would have liked to see the play have more Willie stuff in the first act. Would have liked to hear Imagination again. Only once is not enough. Play was great fun and the sets were imaginative. Lots of kids in the audience- would have liked to have them reappear at the end of the play as part of the play so the kids in the audience wouldn't think they all actually had terrible deaths.

We thought the show was amazing and exceeded our expectations! We would all go to see it again!

An absolutely brilliant play! Would recommend to anyone! One of the best plays we've ever seen! We want to see it again :)

I have children of all ages and they were sitting at the edges of their seats!!! They simply could not get enough. It was clean, appropriate, and entertaining. We really enjoyed!

The show was so much like a mix of the two movies and the book. The acting was absolutely amazing. The oopaloompas were hilarious giving the show a dark twist. And the adult humor throughout the show gave some relief to the adults.

Chose Charlie and the chocolate factory because its a childhood favourite of my wifes. Special occasion spent in New York so visit to a Broadway show was a must. Excellent choice. Thoroughly recommended. 9 out of 10. Why not 10? Because they don't sell ice cream in the intermission. Ha!

Great voices, fine acting, a lot of stage tricks, very good music. We enjoyed it very much

I thought the show is amazing. I loved the entire cast especially Christian Borle (Willy Wonka) and Jake Ryan Flynn (Charlie). I would add walls around the "Maze of Deadly traps" scene to divide the areas. Overall I think my favorite parts are Augustus' first scene and when the Oompa Loompas first came out. I wish I would come back and see the show again.

Awesome show! Christian as Wonka was amazing. Violets dad was GENUIS. The oompa loompas were hilarious

My daughter (age 7) and I enjoyed this show. I thought it was well put together. Although, the set with the chocolate river was small, I think the entirety of the Chocolate Factory and the spin on what happened to the misbehaving children made up for this. The paper airplane effect was awesome as we sat front mezz dead center. The actors were all great. It had an original feel and we were not disappointed.

The whole experience was brilliant, the staff were lovely and really helpful and the show was amazing.

I brought my 13 year old grandaughter to see it and we loved it.I don't think I would go to see it with my husband or girlfriends but with my grandaughter it was a fabulous day.

Great show, it s funny, colorful and true to the film

Nice for family and oldies that loved the movies :)

This was my favorite book growing up and have loved both movie adaptations. Broadway never seems to disappoint and the creativity of this show was fantastic. Loved the story, acting, music, set and everything about our experience!

I went to see this as it was the first show I was ever a part of in junior high and it held a lot of memories for me. The original show is frankly kind of dull and I just wanted to say I saw it again. I was so pleasantly surprised by all of the changes and humor added - Charlie's mom has a song! I know this sounds cliche but throughout the show, I just kept thinking to myself that it's magical. Broadway is magical. Christian Borle is fantastic in the role! I loved it!

Awesome show for the family. My 8 year-old was completely mesmerized and my wife and I had a ball of fun also. Highly recommended.

I thought the play was fantastic. Both entertaining for kids and adults.

We were in the 3rd row and felt like we were part of the show! Seen both movies and read the book - this just finishes the grand slam!! Christian Boyle makes a wonderful Willy Wonka and looks like he's having a great time all show long!!!

Wonderful cast and the actor playing Charlie was great! First act was very colorful but the second act looked like the set was unfinished. Loved the songs from the movie. The umps loompas and the beavers were very cleaver.

While the show was colorful and creative It had a tendency to move in slow motion especially the 2nd act The black squirrels could be left out it was violent and dumb at the same time but then Dahl can be The oompalopas were great. So creative We saw Monday night and the Charlie was perfect I wanted to see the show for Christian Borle and he made a great Wonka Overall drab show. See it for Borle, Bucket and Oompas and sleep thru the rest

I wasn't expecting much when I took my grandgals to see Willie Wonka but it was the only kid friendly show they hadn't already seen. I was happily surprised from the moment the curtains opened to the end of this amazingly refreshing take on Willie Wonka. This show is innovative and creatively unique; the artistry, stagecraft and performers blew me away. The kids and I were mesmerized and didn't want the show to end! Of course there were lots of kids in the audience but the usual chatter, crying and seat kicking you sometimes get with a kid friendly show was surprisingly missing which tells me that we were not the only ones thoroughly enjoying this show. We highly recommend Willie Wonka to kids from 6 to 68 which covered our age span. Willie and Charlie were perfectly cast; we will see this one again. Treat yourself and see why I named this review "explosive".

Much too dark a show for kids. The gruesome killing off of characters is not true to the book. Sets in general were second rate with a couple of exceptions. The oompa loompas were a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing Broadway show.

The show was EXCELLENT. effects were wonderful for a stage production. Well worth seeing, for everyone, young and young at heart.

I gave it 4/5 stars because I wish the golden ticket winners were children. The cast were adults as children except for Charlie Bucket. The show would have been much more charming if children played the role as children instead of adults. A bit odd. I still greatly enjoyed the show. I thought Christian Borle gave a stellar performance as Willy Wonka. He definitely made the show. I would go see again simply for his performance as Wonka.

First, I have to confess...I did not see the Johnny Depp version of Wonka. With that said, it was a nice show. I went on the 2for1 deal and it was worth the experience. The theater is beautiful, the employees, concession, ticket takers were all professional. Since the upper mezz was not full ,we were invited to sit in the lower mezz, which added to our bargain. I went with 3 kids, ages 5, 6, and 13 years old, and then my good friend and I were the adults. All three enjoyed the performance. The OOmpa Loompas, in my opinion, stole the show. The singing, dancing, sets, and the acting were all Broadway worthy. As for the content...I think they could have added some more significant details to go along with the story. For example, Slugworth was completely left out and he is a very important character. Still a good show...grab a deal, grab some kids, and head out to Broadway to see a nice show!

I did not like the ballerina character being torn apart and the giant rats! Scary at best for children.

The show was awesome! The reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the following: The set for the Chocolate Factory was not very good. It was small and looked kind of like something you would see on a parade float...but smaller. Most of the stage props for the second half of the show weren't very good. The "kids" that won the golden ticket weren't kids at all. Except for the kid who played Charlie. The rest of them were adults that played kids. Why not use actual kids? The acting was great but being it's a show for mostly children, I think the kids in the audience would have connected better with the story line if the cast had more children and not just one. The beginning (1st half before intermission) of the show was entirely about Charlie and his family and sets the scene well to tell the story. However, this took away from having more scenes in the Chocolate Factory and having that be the main focus of the show. The stage props for the first part were great as well. Seems like they ran out of money in the budget for the chocolate factory scenes props. I would have liked to see more of that and had that be more of a magnificent focal point. On the positive side, the actor who played Wonka was fantastic! I felt like I was watching Gene Wilder all over again. He was spot on and didn't miss a beat! He truly stole the show more than "Charlie". The actors for "Charlie" and his Uncle did very good. Charlie's lisp with being unable to pronounce words with "r's" made it a bit difficult for my kids to understand some things he was saying but otherwise fantastic. I was surprised they didn't use actual "little people" to play the part of the Oompa Loompas but they did a great job with the way they were portrayed. Overall it was wonderful.

It's always a little dangerous to see a new version of a well-loved childrens' classic, but Christian Borle really makes Wonka his own! He caught the wit, the razor sharp timing, the warmth but also the slightly sinister side of Wonka. Loved the interpretations of the other lead roles too. It was a pleasure to watch our kids fall in love with a tale so treasured in my own childhood, but made so current in this performance!

Not just like the movie. Some parts similar though. Some parts like the book. Also multi-media too. Fun for adults & kids. Most of the primary cast comes out after the show to talk/sign/pictures with fans on the street.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was fun. Definitely a kids show which they lived out to the fullest. Christian Borle and Jackie Hoffman were brilliant, the production was big and sparkly which is exactly the direction they wanted to go. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

I loved this so much - Christian Borle was Willy Wonka- everything about it was great!!! It was funny and sometimes sad - all the emotions

I absolutely loved this show!!! I'm a huge willy wonka fan and this did not disappoint.. and being from Pittsburgh I really enjoyed the part where wonka spoke Pittsburgh ease!!! I plan on seeing it again when it goes on tour!!!

Wonderful and enjoyable! My 7 year old loved it! The entire crew were amazing

This broadway performance has an updated storyline to some of the characters which is a breath of fresh air! The young actor who played Charlie Bucket put his entire heart into this character and it showed throughout the entire performance. Willy Wonka's facial expressions and puns made the character believable even though no one can replace Gene Wilder, Christian Borle did a wonderful recreation! The oompah loompa's were fantastic and an excellent performance by all! The adults and children in the audience thoroughly enjoyed the show which ended in a much deserved standing ovation!!! We saw the first Charle and the Chocolate Factory about 4 years ago when it opened in London and the show has changed even from that rendition. Roald Dahl would be very proud of his updated story.

I am a die-hard fan of the book and the original (Willis Wonka) movie, so I was skeptical whether Wonka would live up to Wilder's performance. Well, Borle was AMAZING! His subtle sarcasm and facial expressions were brilliant! I absolutely recommend this for ages 8+

I was disappointed in the overall production of the show. My expectations were very high for an opulent stage design and even the chocolate room left me unimpressed. The music was rearranged from the original production of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Specifically, Pure Imagination was at the end of the show originally to highlight the similarity between Charlie and Willy but now opens the 2nd Act and is directed at all players. Lastly, the updated features - using a cell phone, iPad and the like - really disconnected the scenes. The poor lifestyle of a kid buying rotten cabbage from a push cart among the tenement buildings of what seemed to be roughly a WWII era didn't flow to a dramatic 21st century shift in technology usage outside of the factory.

We loved this show. It was great family fun & the cast was excellent. The young boy who played Charlie was really exceptional. Christian Borle was very funny, both with his quick wit with an ad lib and with his expressiveness. I would recommend this to families of all ages.

The play was amazing. It was engaging, and the performances were really great!

Fantastic rendition of the classic tale! It's great for the whole family! I cried and laughed because they wed soooo good!

This show was high energy, visual delight, and captivated me through the whole show . I Didn't want it to end

Such a wonderful night!! This play was incredible, the entire cast was incredible... One note: if you are bringing young children, stay away from first 15 rows, the play is extremely loud. But fun!

Charlie and the chocolate factory was beyond my expectations. Imaginative and creative funny entertaining visually stimulating. I loved it

I was so excited to see this show since I loved the movies but ended up very disappointed. Visually it could gave so much more, for me the oompa loompas were a let down dressed in white. The second act is better than the first one. All the actors did well but the book is not good and there are no memorable songs. It is not a bad show, just be aware to adjust your expectations.

Charlie and the chocolate factory was amazing. Made you feel like a kid regardless of your age. Funny, great songs. A must see

Incredible performance. Just so much fun. Loved that Willy Wonka was more promenant in the first act.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the show. The kids are in abundance so you have to be patient.

This is one of the best shows we've seen in NYC! Amazing acting, dancing and sets. Humor throughout is both outright funny and subtle!

This show was a magical journey into the world of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! The expressions on my granddaughters' faces show what a fun-filled wonderful experience it was! Christian Borle and the cast were fantastic. The costumes and sets transported everyone into a true "world of imagination"! Loved it!!!

My husband and I enjoyed a delightful afternoon with Charlie, Willie Wonka and the marvelous cast of characters. It was so well done and Christian Borle was perfect! We enjoyed the music so much that I bought the CD as soon as I got home. 4 thumbs up for us!

This show was absolutely incredible and I would 110% pay to see it again! It was hilarious, clever, and thoroughly entertaining. The not-so-subtle political commentary had me pleasantly surprised. The theater itself was clean and welcoming, the snacks and drinks were great, and staff was friendly.

Grandsons 14 & 12 loved the show as did Grammy age 75. Christian Borle (Willy Wonka) and Ryan Foust (Charlie) were fantastic. Staging and effects were extremely well done and we loved the "Oompa Loompas". What an incredible cast. A great show for children and adults of all ages.

Our family attended with my now young adult sons and one teen son, they absolutely Loved it!!!!! My sons loved to watch the original and the one with J. Depp, and they thought this one was Hilarious! Great performance, would see it again if we had a chance!

Actors were incredible. Made me laugh so much. So entertaining. Loved it

I am horrified that they would Rip apart a child on stage. Very disturbing. Would not recommend. The director is completely to blame. The actors were Extremely good and the music was fantastic. I would have loved the show otherwise.

Overall fun .... Oompa Loompas stole the show. Charlie's chaRacter was well done as well as Willy wonka . Was offended by adult words .. not necessary

Great acting especially by it's lead star Willie Wonka. I loved the show and understood the minimalist approach to the various set designs but I thought they were all very lackluster. When Willie shows everyone his candy factory it is just a small square float decked out in cheap looking chocolate stuff. Broadway should be spectacular and wow and their sets were anything but.

Such an amazing show! Great cast! I would see it again and again if I could!

The colors and actors are great. The story line I thought was going to be the usual Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the slight changes to modify the production didn't keep me interested and was slightly boring for the first half of the show. The second half was a lot better and kept it funny and entertaining. Sometimes things don't need to be changed to make it relatable to the current youth

Loved the modern interpretation! Such an incredible show! Made my top 5! Incredibly well written and performed!

After reading not so good reviews we saw the show without high expectations. We were pleasantly surprised. The show was entertaining and the acting was very good. I agree with most people who complain about the sets which are underwhelming. So much more could have been done in such a great venue. Other than that no complaints.

Seems like could have done so much with this but lost the opportunity. Show was okay

Loved the play. Willy Wonka was amazing and Charlie was perfect. Kept the my attention as well as the attention of my autistic son. Very enjoyable and entertaining. Summed up in one word, the play was MAGICAL!!

I loved Charlie and the chocolate factory! You get a little of both movies in this play. Some people said it was a little warped but that's what makes it so Great. Let's face it, the movies were a little warped also lol. I don't know if I would recommend this for little kids because they might not get it (depending on your kid) but I think it's great for 10 and older. You should definitely go see it though!! The moral is the same, stay true to yourself and live honest/decent/kind and good things will happen to you!

Amazing! I took my 8 years old son to see his first Broadway show, he loved it. He could not sit still, he was watching the show with his mouth open. We both loved the show.

I found the show very entertaining. It wasn't what I had expected. I enjoyed it very much and I would definitely recommend it.

Great show. Way more naughty than I anticipated. The cast was amazing, and the boy who played Charlie was simply fantastic. Great night of theater. I would highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone.

My family and I love the original film (and the Tim Burton version a little bit), this broadway adaptation did the film some justice. Most of the storyline, jokes and music were good, the costumes as well as the overall direction. However, I did not feel enthralled by the entire production. For example, there were no incentives in the venue to continue instilling imagination in minds of the young children. I wish at least 5 golden tickets would have been placed at random chairs throughout the venue and chocolate given out to the recipients: "winners". Also, there were a few off-color jokes that were inappropriate for a crowd who's majority was of children.

I am a big Willie Wonka/Charlie fan and this production did not disappoint me. It was great, I laughed so hard. Christian Borle was a great as Willy Wonka and capture the true essence of Gene Wilder. I want to see it again!

Fun for people of all ages, colorful, exciting, just great

This was a very creative presentation of the story which was captivating throughout the show. The set and acting was wonderful and the tone set for the story was really constructive for children. You walked away feeling elated about Charlie's prize!

The play was amazing and funnier than I imagined. The set was very colorful and different. My favorite were the Oompa Loompas.

I grew up watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so I admit that expectations were high, but I just expected more from this show. I do think that all of the actors were talented, and had wonderful voices. But what I was really looking forward to was the set design, and honestly it was really lack-luster. I also would've preferred if the script and details had stayed closer to the original story.

My husband and I absolutely loved this production. It was magical with a beautiful story line and the Oompa Loompas were amazing. We're taking our grandson next time around.

I must admit that I didn't have my hopes up because I wasn't sure if they could recreate all the effects from the movie. But I was wrong. The show wad unbelievably amazing! I totally recommend it to anyone.

This was the first show we enjoyed together as a family and I'm so happy we did!!!

I took my 6 year old God son to see Charlie & the Chocolate Factort after he had been watching the behind the scenes clips on YouTube. I didn't know what to expect but I was blown away! This play was so much better than both movie versions I've seen, the set, the effects, the actors the modern twist on the story, everything was great! Highly recommended.

The show was absolutely fantastic! Christian Borle did Gene Wilder proud with his rendition of Willy Wonka. The cast was outstanding. The musical numbers were artistic. Loved this show!

Pro: Great show! My nine year old daughter said it's now her favorite play. The songs were good. All the actors and actresses were fantastic. Wonka and his sarcastic humor was hilarious. I definitely recommend it! Con: For the price per ticket, they could've afforded to have added more to the scenery.

This play was awesome! Great for kids & adults. A must see for all ages!!! You laugh, you cry. Makes you feel like a kid again. Well done Mr Wonka!!

Went for my birthday and loved it!! It was funny and kept your attention the whole way through. Even my boyfriend enjoyed it he is not a musical type of person. Definitely recommend!

Being a huge fan of the classic film starring Gene Wilder I have to say I was a bit sceptical about this show but boy was I proved wrong. Absolutely amazing show and the performance of Christian Borle as Willy Wonka was a joy to behold. This show was brilliant from start to finish and was really witty and incredibly funny in bits especially when the oompa loompas first made an appearance. Have to also say that the staff at the Lunt-Fontanne theatre were very nice and friendly. The seat I had was superb, I was sat in the front row of the mezzanine and had uninterrupted views of this magnificent show. Overall if you are ever in NYC and looking for a good show I would totally recommend it, you won't be disappointed.

always looking for "events" that would be a great experience for my 4 grandchildren rather then presents that hold their interest for a short time this year I chose to send the whole bunch of them to charlie and chocolate factory-4 kids (ages 4-9) and their parents. I had to think long and hard about this as the youngest is on the autism spectrum and does not like loud noises, crowds etc. This show was the perfect choice and all of them had a wonderful time... I look forward to being able to do this again next year....to another show that is suitable for all of them....

Such a fun show for adults and kids just like the original Willy wonka movie

Play was terrific all five grandchildren loved it and they enjoyed getting autographs from the cast w