Michael Ball will play Willy Wonka in a brand-new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the London Coliseum next summer, with tickets on sale from 29 September.
Michael Ball is to play Willy Wonka in a new production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, running at the London Coliseum from 4 June to 18 September 2027. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 29 September, and start at £20.
It is a sixteen-week engagement and a brand-new staging rather than a revival of the version that played Drury Lane. The production originates at Curve in Leicester and is directed by the theatre’s artistic director Nikolai Foster, who brought Kinky Boots to the same Coliseum stage.
Ball won Olivier Awards for Hairspray and Sweeney Todd and has a long history at this address, having played Anatoly in Chess and Edna Turnblad in Hairspray there with English National Opera. He created Marius in the original West End Les Misérables and released his 23rd solo album, Glow, this year.
One caveat for anyone booking: Ball is performing only at the London Coliseum, and at certain performances the role will be taken by an alternate, still to be announced. The producers say dates will be listed on the show’s website.
The score is by Marc Shaiman, with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by David Greig. It also folds in three songs from the 1971 film by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley — Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket.
Foster’s creative team includes choreographer Ebony Molina, set designer Leslie Travers, Olivier-winning costume designer Katrina Lindsay, lighting designer Ben Cracknell, sound designer Adam Fisher, Tony-winning video designer George Reeve, illusion designer Chris Fisher and puppet designer Rachael Canning, with musical supervision by Stephen Brooker and musical direction by Isaac McCullough.
It is produced by ROYO, Fiery Angel, Gavin Kalin Productions and Curve — the same ROYO that filled the Coliseum with Kinky Boots this year.
Performances run Tuesday to Saturday at 7pm, with 2pm matinees on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There is a captioned performance on Wednesday 23 June 2027, a signed performance on Wednesday 14 July and an audio-described performance on Tuesday 7 September.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory previews at the London Coliseum from Friday 4 June 2027, with national press night on Sunday 20 June and the run ending on Saturday 18 September 2027.
