Upon closing, the new musical, which officially opened April 23, 2017, played 27 previews and 305 regular performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).
“It has been a privilege to share this timeless story with audiences of all ages,” said producers Mark Kaufman, Kevin McCormick, and Caro Newling in an earlier joint statement. “Our remarkable creative team, led by the incomparable Jack O’Brien, have re-imagined the story of Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka for a new generation. We now look forward to a long life for the production across North America and around the world.”
With direction by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features music by Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winner Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Grammy and Tony winners Scott Wittman and Shaiman, a book by David Greig, choreography by Tony nominee and Emmy winner Joshua Bergasse, and additional songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley from the 1971 Warner Bros. motion picture.
The Broadway company stars two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle, Jake Ryan Flynn, Ryan Foust, Ryan Sell, Tony winner John Rubinstein, Emily Padgett, Ben Crawford, Kathy Fitzgerald, Alan H. Green, Emmy nominee Jackie Hoffman, Trista Dollison, F. Michael Haynie, Emma Pfaeffle, and Michael Wartella with Chip Abbott, Yesenia Ayala, Darius Barnes, Colin Bradbury, Jared Bradshaw, Ryan Breslin, Stephen Carrasco, Kristy Cates, Madeleine Doherty, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Stephanie Gibson, Talya Groves, Cory Lingner, Robin Masella, Elliott Mattox, Monette McKay, Kyle Taylor Parker, Kristin Piro, Amy Quanbeck, Paul Slade Smith, Halli Toland, Katie Webber, Cody Williams, Michael Williams, and Mikey Winslow.
The Broadway production featured scenic and costume design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Andrew Keister, puppet design by Basil Twist, projection design by Jeff Sugg, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, and music direction and supervision by Nicholas Skilbeck. Casting is by Telsey + Company/Rachel Hoffman, CSA.
The musical is described as such: “Willy Wonka, world famous inventor of the Everlasting Gobstopper, has just made an astonishing announcement. His marvelous—and mysterious—factory is opening its gates…to a lucky few. That includes young Charlie Bucket, whose life definitely needs sweetening. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing, life-changing journey through Wonka’s world of pure imagination. Get ready for chocolate waterfalls, exquisitely nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all to be revealed by Wonka's army of curious Oompa-Loompas.”
