This is my favorite story of all time so I was expecting to absolutely adore this musical and for the most part, it was a satisfying trip into nostalgia and imagination. One major shortcoming was the lack of a warning to parents about ensuring the show was appropriate for their children. Though some of us realized it was going to be truer to the book than the original movie, I think a lot of parents thought the musical would be as appropriate for young children as the movie was, but the story is actually quite dark and seeing it performed live made some of that darkness feel very stark. I was seated next to a young girl of about 7 whose parents were obviously not aware of the darker, more adult-specific content and it affected my enjoyment of the performance to see and hear how distraught the little girl was at a few different times during the show (specifically the violent deaths of Violet and Veruca and reference to “child death” in another scene). I could tell her parents were surprised and upset too, so I wish there would be a warning or disclosure added to the event details so parents will know this show isn’t geared toward kids and can make age-appropriate choices for their children. There were also a few lags in the sound that made it hard to hear the first word or two of each line for each new character who spoke - almost as if all of the actors’ mics were turned off until it was time for each to speak again and there was a 1-2 second lag on mics coming back on each time. However, despite these couple of issues, it was an enjoyable show for adults. The music was really good, with a nice mix of old favorites from the original film and new songs exclusive to the musical. The acting and performances (particularly by Willy Wonka and Mrs. Bucket) were really well done, The scenery and lighting were often spectacular (the Chocolate Room was pure magic!) and the way the Oompa Loompas were portrayed was an absolute delight. Super glad we went!
