Colors, music, and all things whimsical burst onto the stage at The Theatre at Solaire as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical" finally opens its doors to Filipino audiences.
For many, Roald Dahl’s beloved tale is synonymous with childhood—whether through the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, the 2005 version led by Johnny Depp, or the 2023 origin story with Timothée Chalamet.
This latest musical, however, proves there’s still room for surprise in Wonka’s world.
Instead, it updates the classic with dazzling stagecraft, clever cultural references, and Gen Z-inspired twists that make the nearly 60-year-old story feel remarkably current.
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A factory built on imagination
The first thing audiences notice is just how immersive the production is.
Towering LED walls transform the stage into a living storybook, effortlessly shifting from Charlie Bucket's humble home to the colorful corridors of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.
Practical illusions, scenic transformations, bubbles, and projection mapping constantly blur the line between stage and audience, making it feel as though everyone has received their own Golden Ticket.
During the media event held in Parañaque City on July 9, resident director Drew Cipollone reveals that the creative team traveled to Las Vegas to develop new illusion techniques specifically for this production.
"What you see in this version has never been seen anywhere else in the world," he says.
"The team actually went to Las Vegas and we went to the Illusions Project. We learned practical magic and invented some illusion magic. We added a lot more magic and illusion, a lot more scenic elements."
The result is a production that never stops moving.
Every transition feels magical enough to keep audiences engaged before the famous chocolate factory doors open.
Small Filipino touches, big impact
Although the musical follows its international script, the Manila production weaves in localized touches that instantly resonate with Filipino audiences.
One of the most endearing scenes involves Karylle, who plays Mrs. Bucket in the Manila run.
In a tender moment, Charlie Bucket—portrayed by Oliver Wong—performs the traditional mano po gesture to his mother.
It's a tiny addition that lasts only seconds, but inside a theater full of Filipinos, it is met with surprising warmth.
Another crowd-pleasing moment arrives after Mrs. Teavee (Kelly Brandenburg) casually hands her gin fizz to Willy Wonka (Michael Dalke) for a sip.
What follows is a brief musical nod that references one of the country's most recognizable inuman anthems, earning instant laughter from the audience.
They're blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, but they're thoughtful reminders that this production was made to epitomize Manila.
Wonka remains wonderfully unpredictable.
Rather than imitating the eccentric charm of Gene Wilder or the offbeat quirks of Johnny Depp, Michael Dalke carves out his own take on the iconic, chaotic chocolatier.
He carries just enough mystery to keep audiences guessing while maintaining the warmth needed to guide Charlie through the factory's increasingly bizarre rooms.
His vocals are equally commanding, especially during "Pure Imagination," a number that carries the same sense of childlike wonder decades after it was first introduced.
The song invites audiences into Wonka's factory, just as much as it reminds them why imagination remains timeless.
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A Chocolate Factory for Gen Z
Perhaps the production's smartest decision is how it updates Charlie's fellow Golden Ticket winners.
Instead of forcing modern references into the story, the musical cleverly reimagines each child to reflect today's generation.
Violet Beauregarde's (Giselle Amarisa Watts) entire production number is one giant aura-farming session, and, I mean that as the highest compliment.
Every beat, dance move, and pose feels engineered for virality.
One could argue that her star factor warrants having an overzealous stage-dad Mr. Beauregarde (Darren Lorenzo), who seems determined to turn Violet's entire existence into a never-ending livestream.
He is so insistent about being chronically online that at one point, another parent tells him, "Please stop filming other people's tragedy."
The line earns one of the biggest laughs of the evening precisely because it feels painfully familiar.
In today's world, people often reach for their phones before offering a helping hand.
Veruca Salt (Allison Gann) also receives a refresh.
Still every bit the spoiled child audiences know, this version swaps extravagant toys for today's obsession.
Instead of demanding another expensive luxury, she shamelessly cries, "Buy me more Labubus!" The reference feels perfectly at home in 2026.
Even more delightful is the creative decision to portray Veruca as a Russian ballerina.
When she inevitably attempts to claim Wonka's squirrels as her own, the ensuing choreography cleverly mirrors The Nutcracker, creating one of the production's most visually inventive, and, boldest sequences.
Fair warning, though: younger children, or even some adults, might find the squirrels a little unsettling.
Far from the cuddly woodland creatures audiences may expect, these oversized black mascots tower over the stage with glowing red eyes, looking less like squirrels and more like sleep paralysis demons that have wandered into a candy factory.
Mike Teavee (DJ Plunkett) evolves with the times as well.
Gone is the television-obsessed child from earlier adaptations. In his place is a gadget-loving kid permanently attached to handheld gaming consoles and tablets.
His fate inside Wonka's factory remains faithful to the original story, but the updated punchline lands brilliantly.
After Mike shrinks to an impossibly tiny size, Wonka casually remarks: "No one ever goes back to normal once they've been on TV. Everybody knows that."
Inside a theater filled with media personalities, influencers, and entertainment reporters, the joke lands perfectly—earning knowing laughs and a ripple of self-aware chuckles from an audience all too familiar with life in the spotlight.
Curiously, Augustus Gloop (Sam Nackman) remains the only Golden Ticket winner left largely untouched by modernization.
His greed still revolves around food, proving that some flaws simply refuse to go out of style.
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The Oompa Loompas steal the show
One question lingers in my mind throughout the first half.
How exactly does this production handle the Oompa Loompas?
Thankfully, the answer exceeds expectations.
As Augustus Gloop meets his chocolatey downfall, the familiar Oompa Loompa melody begins to play before audiences are introduced to perhaps the production's most delightful surprise.
Through inventive puppetry, the musical transforms the factory workers into mischievous, expressive, and utterly adorable scene-stealers.
Their appearances consistently draw some of the loudest reactions from the audience, proving that innovation doesn't always require bigger sets.
Sometimes, it simply takes clever storytelling.
Dreams remain the sweetest ingredient
Despite all the technological wizardry and contemporary humor, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical never loses sight of what has always made the story endure.
At its heart, it remains a tale about kindness, hope, and the courage to dream even when life offers very little.
As soon as the opening notes of "Pure Imagination" fill the theater, it's impossible not to feel transported back to childhood.
For a few precious minutes, adulthood fades into the background, replaced by the comforting belief that impossible things might actually happen.
Perhaps Willy Wonka says it best: "There's blue-sky thinking, and then there's loopy."
This musical embraces both.
By blending timeless storytelling with modern humor, dazzling illusions, and thoughtful Filipino touches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical answers why some classics don't need to stay frozen in time.
All they need is a fresh recipe to make dreams become something wonderfully edible.
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