Curve announces full cast for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, extends run to 9 January
Curve, Leicester has announced the full cast for its Christmas revival of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with the production now running from 21 November 2026 to 9 January 2027 — an extension on the originally announced dates. Press night is set for 2 December. WhatsOnStage
Jonny Fines leads the company as Willy Wonka. Fines has released a video performance of the song 'Believed To Be Seen' from the show, giving audiences an early glimpse of his take on the enigmatic chocolatier.
The role of Charlie Bucket is shared by four young performers — Lucas Kerr, Jett Moises, William Stafford and Theo Wake — a standard arrangement for child parts that allows the show to manage performance schedules and legal limits on working hours. The four other golden-ticket winners are similarly shared: Violet Beauregarde (Serei Knight-Francis, Shamiso Nyamuda, Tida Nyamuda), Mike Teavee (Kyrelle Lammy, Leo Hollingsworth, Samuel Smith), Veruca Salt (Matilda Hennessy, Rose Jammeh, Sophie Purnell) and Augustus Gloop (Thomas Burton, George Consterdine, Benjamin Dalton).
David-Michael Johnson plays Grandpa Joe, with Molly Lynch returning to Curve as Mrs Bucket. Lizzie Bea is Mrs Gloop, Rachel Izen is Mrs Teavee, Darren Bennett is Mr Salt and Lejaun Sheppard is Mr Beauregarde. The wider cast includes Michelle Cornelius as Grandma Josephine, Thea Jo Wolfe as Grandma Georgina, Samuel Sarpong-Broni as Grandpa George, Liam Doyle as Jerry, Sinead Kenny as Cherry and Aisha Davis as Mrs Green.
The ensemble comprises Elsie Buckley, Ru Fisher, Liam McEvoy, Billy Medlin and Hannah Nuttall. Jordan Dixon makes his professional debut as an onstage swing — a performer who covers multiple roles and steps in as needed — alongside Rachel Jayne Picar, with Joseph Craig and Tori McDougall as offstage swings. A community company of more than 20 young people will also perform as part of the production.
Nikolai Foster, Curve's artistic director, directs. The musical, based on Roald Dahl's 1964 novel, has a book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. Songs include 'The Candy Man', 'It Must Be Believed to Be Seen', 'The Oompa Loompa Song' and 'Pure Imagination'.
The creative team is substantial. Ebony Molina choreographs, Leslie Travers designs the set and Katrina Lindsay the costumes. Chris Fisher handles illusions, Ben Cracknell lighting, Adam Fisher sound and George Reeve video. Puppets are by Rachael Canning, wigs and make-up by Mark Marson for Campbell Young Associates, and musical supervision by Stephen Brooker with George Dyer on orchestrations and Isaac McCullough as musical director. Ollie Khurshid and Jordan Isaac are associate directors; Dale White is associate choreographer. Casting is by Olivia Laydon for Jill Green Casting.
Curve has lined up a broad set of accessible performances across the run. A BSL-interpreted performance runs on 4 December at 7.15pm; captioned performances on 12 December at 7.15pm and 17 December at 2pm; a dementia-friendly performance on 16 December at 2pm; audio-described performances with touch tours on 19 December at 2pm and 6 January at 7.15pm; and relaxed performances on 3 January at 1pm and 7 January at 2pm. WhatsOnStage
For a regional theatre, a Christmas musical with a named cast of more than 30, a community company and a full creative team is a serious investment — the kind of show that has to fill the auditorium night after night to earn its keep. Curve has placed its bet on Dahl.
