Golden Ticket! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Announces Full Cast at Curve
Leicester has found its Willy Wonka! Jonny Fines will lead the cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Curve this Christmas – and there’s already more good news, with the production extending its run due to demand.
It may only be August, but Curve Leicester is already unwrapping its Christmas presents. Full casting has now been announced for the theatre’s new Made at Curve production of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Leicestershire actor Jonny Fines stepping into the top hat of Willy Wonka!
Originally due to finish on 9 January, the production has been extended by a week due to demand and will now run from 21 November 2026 until 16 January 2027.
Looks like Leicester really has found its Golden Ticket!
Jonny Fines to play Willy Wonka at Curve
Jonny Fines will take on one of musical theatre’s most eccentric characters as the mysterious chocolatier Willy Wonka. He’s also no stranger to Curve. Previous Made at Curve appearances include the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, Johnny in My Beautiful Laundrette, Zack Mayo in An Officer and a Gentleman – The Musical and Kenickie in Grease.
Elsewhere, his theatre credits include Annie, The Sound of Music and Avenue Q, while television appearances include The Jetty, EastEnders and Coronation Street.
For Curve regulars, then, this is something of a homecoming – albeit one involving considerably more chocolate than usual.
Four young actors will share the role of Charlie Bucket
Of course, there can be no Willy Wonka without a Charlie. The role of Golden Ticket winner Charlie Bucket will be shared by four young performers: Lucas Kerr, Jett Moises, William Stafford and Theo Wake. Charlie will be joined on his extraordinary factory adventure by David-Michael Johnson as Grandpa Joe, while Molly Lynch returns to Curve as Mrs Bucket.
Lynch will already be familiar to Curve audiences following appearances in the theatre’s productions of My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music.
And then there are the other Golden Ticket winners…
Meet the rest of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cast
Violet Beauregarde will be shared by Serei Knight-Francis, Shamiso Nyamuda and Tida Nyamuda, with Lejaun Sheppard playing Mr Beauregarde. Kyrelle Lammy, Leo Hollingsworth and Samuel Smith will share the role of Mike Teavee, alongside Rachel Izen as Mrs Teavee. Veruca Salt will be played by Matilda Hennessy, Rose Jammeh and Sophie Purnell, with Darren Bennett as Mr Salt. And finally, Thomas Burton, George Consterdine and Benjamin Dalton will share the role of chocolate-loving Augustus Gloop, with Lizzie Bea playing Mrs Gloop.
The adult company also features 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. More than 20 young people, many from Leicester and the wider East Midlands, will also join the production as part of a Community Company.
It’s shaping up to be quite a factory floor.
A brand-new Made at Curve production
This isn’t simply a visit from an existing touring production. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a new Made at Curve production, created in Leicester under the direction of Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster. Foster’s previous productions include Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde and The Sound of Music, and he’ll be joined by an impressive creative team.
Ebony Molina provides choreography, with set design by Leslie Travers and costumes by Katrina Lindsay. There’s also an intriguing name among the creatives: Chris Fisher, whose credits include Stranger Things: The First Shadow, will create the production’s illusions. Considering we’re heading inside Willy Wonka’s factory, we’d imagine he has rather a lot to keep him busy.
The production will also feature lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Adam Fisher, video design by George Reeve and puppetry by Rachael Canning. In other words, Curve certainly doesn’t appear to be doing Christmas by halves.
Pure Imagination – and some familiar songs
The musical is based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel and features a book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. But audiences who grew up with the classic 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory film won’t be left without a little nostalgia.
Songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley from the film are incorporated into the stage musical, including The Candy Man, The Oompa Loompa Song and, of course, Pure Imagination. Add in Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Mike Teavee, Augustus Gloop and a collection of Oompa-Loompas, and Curve has all the ingredients for a very Wonka Christmas.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory extends at Curve
Perhaps the most encouraging part of the announcement is that the production has already been extended. When Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was originally announced earlier this year, it was scheduled to close on 9 January 2027. Strong ticket demand means an extra week of performances has now been added, taking the final performance to 16 January 2027. That’s quite a vote of confidence several months before the factory gates have even opened.
Curve has developed a reputation for ambitious Christmas musicals in recent years, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory follows festive productions including The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady.
With a home-grown Willy Wonka, a large company, a creative team promising everything from puppetry to illusions and one of children’s literature’s most famous stories at its heart, this year’s production certainly isn’t lacking ambition. All that’s left is to open those factory gates.
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs at Curve, Leicester from 21 November 2026 until 16 January 2027.
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