Bournemouth and Boscombe Light Opera Company [BBLOC] 
Bournemouth Pavilion, Bournemouth
Andrea Pellegrini 
30 May 2025
Charlie’s dreams come true when he wins a golden ticket to the mysterious Wonka Chocolate factory… but what happens when he enters the factory with the other golden ticket winners, and they find themselves in the magical world of Willy Wonka…?
A massive… no, humongous congratulations to all at BBLOC for this absolutely spectacular show! Each and every member of cast, production and crew should be so proud of themselves; the amount of time, energy and sheer hard work that they have put in to bring this production to the Pavilion shows, and has absolutely paid off.
From the very beginning, as soon as the curtain came up, the audience were transported into the magical world of Willy Wonka and what a candy filled rollercoaster ride it was.
The changing sets were outstanding, on par with any West End production I have ever seen, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. The lighting, use of the smoke machine, and sound effects added so much to the magic of the performance. Some fabulous props, including the tv set and the great glass elevator – I won’t spoil it for you, but wow, just wow!
The musical numbers were all brilliant, I enjoyed every single one of them, such a talented cast, all with such strong vocals supported by an amazing Orchestra.
The chorus were an absolute delight, fabulous choreography in each number, but my favourites had to the Oompa Loompas!
Fantastic costumes, wigs and makeup… again, the Oompa Loompas were stand out!
Reuben Aukim-Schneider, who played Charlie, was an absolute delight, such a talented young boy, definitely one to watch in the future!
Grandpa Joe, played by Phillip Fry, was a standout for me and I enjoyed the relationship with the other grandparents – Grandpa George, Grandma Georgina and Grandma Josephine in the big bed!
Bee Chumley as Mrs Bucket was wonderful with beautiful vocals.
Millie Bagnall (Violet), Tom Carr (Mike), Edward Alexander (Augustus) and Molly Bennett (Veruca) were all just absolutely perfect in their roles and captured the essence of their characters all perfectly. I loved each and every one of them, especially Edward as Augustus.
I must mention Jo Uzzell (Mrs Gloop), Matthew Traher (Mr Salt), Ali Davis (Mr Beauregarde) and Fiona Fox (Mrs Teavee), all fantastic in their roles as the parents of such awful children!
And now we come to Mr Willy Wonka himself, the absolute star of the show, Edward Brennan. Everything about his characterisation was utterly perfect, he captured the darkness and the humour with great expression and stage presence. Such an all round talent, a strong actor with amazing vocals to boot, well done Edward, an absolutely stunning performance.
I thoroughly enjoyed the show from start to finish and didn’t want it to end! In fact, I might go and see it again to tomorrow!
If you haven’t seen it already and there are any tickets left, I would urge you to go along and see this incredible performance of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory at the Bournemouth Pavilion, running from 28 – 31 May.
