Wonka - A Musical of Pure Imagination

From the director of the beloved Paddington films comes a musical that attempts to revisit the origins and whimsy of the famous fictional chocolatier, Willy Wonka. It has been some time since the last film interpretation of the beloved character in theaters. Ever since Tim Burton directed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory back in 2005, the franchise has remained dormant (outside of a Tom and Jerry Crossover we will NEVER speak of). Now, almost 18 years later, Wonka is back! Is his return as sweet as the chocolate he’s known for?

The acting in the film is very superb. Timothée Chalamet, who portrays Willy Wonka in the film does an amazing job of portraying a new version of the famous chocolate maker. Unlike the socially awkward version by Johnny Depp or the rather crazy one by Gene Wilder, Timothée’s version is portrayed as a kind-hearted, innocent young man, who is a believer in dreams and setting off to achieve them. He is complemented well by his childlike, innocent friendship with Noodle, portrayed by Calah Lane. She works very well as a lonely orphan who is amazed and in awe of the magic and kindness of Wonka. Other standout performances include Keegan-Michael Key as the corrupt Chief of Police and Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa named Lofty.  

One of the most important parts of a musical is, of course, the music. Wonka has some very great music and songs. Most of the songs in the film were original, provided by Neil Hannon. Some standout songs that I particularly liked were “You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This,” "A Hatful of Dreams",  and “For a Moment”. I was very pleased to know that only two songs from the original 1971 film, that being the Oompa Loompa song and Pure Imagination. Every song was done very well and I loved every one of them.