Four Golden Ticket winners and other Charlie cast announced

This morning, the producers of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory announced casting for four of the Golden Ticket winners, their families and the ensemble cast for the upcoming production opening at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney in January 2019. We expect the casting of Wonka and the children to share the role of Charlie to be announced soon.

Augustus Gloop, a greedy boy who enjoys eating, the first person to find a Golden Ticket, will be played by Jake Fehily, and his mother, Mrs Gloop, will be Octavia Barron Martin (My Fair Lady). Veruca Salt, an only child whose parents spoil her excessively and who finds the second Golden Ticket, will be played by Karina Russell and her father Mr Salt by Stephen Anderson (Matilda the Musical, Mamma Mia!). Jayme-Lee Hanekom will play the third person to find one of Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets, Violet Beauregard, a competitive and determined child who takes great pride in her record-breaking gum-chewing abilities, with Madison McKoy ( The View Upstairs, Miss Saigon) as Mr Beauregard. Harrison Riley will play Mike Teavee, the fourth Golden Ticket winner who is obsessed with TV and gadgets and is far less keen on people, with Jayde Westaby (The Rocky Horror Show, Mamma Mia!) as his mother Mrs Teavee.

Also in the wonderfully talented cast are Johanna Allen, Sheridan Anderson, Hayden Baum, Kanen Breen, Bayley Edmends, Bronte Florian, Todd Goddard, Madison Green, David Hammond, Sasha Lian-Diniz, Aaron Lynch, Jordan Malone, Kassie Martin, Phoenix Mendoza, Adam Noviello, Danielle O’Malley, Jackson Reedman, Emma Russell, Taylor Scanlan and Thalia Smith.

“What a gloriously talented bunch of performers will make up our Australian cast,” producers said. “The world fell in love with Roald Dahl’s bewitching tale when the book was released, then filmgoers adored the 1971 film with Gene Wilder. Now this fabulous cast will enchant audiences with the story once again on stage.”

“This is such a wonderful story for generations to share,” added John Frost. “Grandparents love taking their grandkids, and parents love sharing their favourite Willy Wonka film from their childhood with their children. We have an amazing cast to bring this story to life, and I can’t wait to shortly reveal our Willy Wonka, the Bucket family and the four boys who will share the role of Charlie.”

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is perhaps Roald Dahl’s best-known story and has proved to be one of the most enduring children’s books of all time. The story of Charlie Bucket, the five Golden Tickets, the Oompa-Loompas and the amazing Willy Wonka has become firmly embedded in our culture since it was first published in 1964. Conservative estimates suggest the original book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide; it is now available in 60 languages.

More information and tickets are available now at: Charliethemusical.com.au