By BRUCE DENNILL
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory / Choreography by Mario Gaglione / Mandela, Joburg Theatre, Braamfontein, Johannesburg
The arrival of a new, original full-length ballet is a huge deal in any context. The sheer amount of work involved in choreographing (Mario Gaglione), composing (Mark Cheyne), designing (Gaglione and Andrew Botha) and performing (a large cast comprising Joburg Ballet plus guest artists including past company stars, ad hoc artists and dancers from the Joburg Ballet Academy, Joburg Ballet School, WGRUV Dance Company, Cape Town City Ballet, along with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra) such a piece alone makes it feel like investigating the project as a ballet fan is an investment likely to yield benefits. It’s impossible to know what it must have felt like to be in the room the first time Swan Lake or Giselle was performed and, while there’s no guarantee that Charlie And The Chocolate Factory will ultimately have that sort of longevity, it is a hugely thrilling experience to hear and watch, for the first time, the strains of Cheyne’s score rising from the orchestra pit and Willy Wonka (Revil Yon) stepping onto the stage, his top hat in place according to the character description known to the millions of fans familiar with Roald Dahl’s classic book.
The ballet’s story overlaps in many areas with the narrative arc of the book, though there is liberal weaving in of other segments that play into Gaglione’s choreographic goals in terms of which of the company’s skills can be showcased in different ways. As such, for instance, a prologue in which Wonka, wandering around Loompaland and discovering how to make chocolate and an extended closing scene in which chocolates dance for Charlie in the chocolate factory differ significantly in tone from the original material.
The production looks opulent and stylish, with costumes bright and layered enough to match the large-scale props, and this, together with relatively contemporary choreography and the staging of the early scenes gives Act One something of the feel of a large-scale musical. In this section, the Town Square scene is a bustling delight, involving more or less the whole cast and introducing the winners of Wonka’s Golden Ticket competition. The perma-snacking Augustus Gloop (Ivan Domiciano beneath a formidable fat-suit and facial prosthetics); rich brat Veruca Salt (a smirking Darragh Hourrides); over-indulged chewing gum enthusiast Violet Beauregarde (a sparky, pig-tailed Chloé Blair) and pushy, hyperactive cowboy fan Mike Teavee (the finger gun-shooting Tumelo Lekana) all present not only their golden tickets but the unpleasant character traits that make them so violently different from the empathetic, generous poor Charlie (Jayden Samuels, who keeps these gentle qualities close to the surface in his reading of the character).
Enjoyable character performances in this first act include Gabriel Fernandes, whose solo as Mr Bucket is excellent; Albertus Dreyer, whose kind, bumbling Grandpa Joe is an audience favourite; and Anya Carstens as Mrs Beauregarde, who amusingly sets aside her trademark poise to chomp gum, even blowing a bubble that Blair pops on her face!
Act Two ushers in the opportunity to showcase more classical ballet, particularly in the closing Golden Room scene, in which massed rows of ballerinas create a stunning spectacle and solos and pas de deux aplenty allow the principals and soloists to stretch themselves. It must be noted, though, that although this showcase of technique is a hugely important part of any full ballet, this final segment is long, both testing the stamina of its audience and somewhat distracting from the relationship between Wonka and Charlie, who have by this time found in each other kindred spirits.
Cheyne’s music is superb throughout, all beautiful and much of it fascinatingly complex even as it remains constantly accessible. It does not, at first listen, have the huge hooks of the best-known pieces in Swan Lake or The Nutcracker, but those may have only become familiar over time, and Cheyne’s score will become more well-known over future runs.
As a statement of intent, a production of this size and intricacy says much about Joburg Ballet’s ambition and commitment to growth and creativity and whether or not it is refined as it goes (as most if not all major stage productions are), it is already an impressive achievement, worthy of celebration.
