Programming the 2023-24 season would have been one of the last major tasks for outgoing Grand Theatre artistic director Dennis Garnhum before ending his seven-year tenure in June. And on the Grand’s slate of yearly offerings, none is more important — to audiences and to the theatre’s bottom line — than the annual holiday show.
Not surprisingly, tickets to that production are always in high demand, as patrons seek dazzling, uplifting family fare that can tucked in among Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s festivities. Past shows have included Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical (2012), Elf (2013 and 2022), Shrek The Musical (2014), A Christmas Story (2015), The Wizard of Oz (2016), A Christmas Carol (2017 and 2018), and Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins (2019). The Grand’s patrons, in fact, don’t mind seeing old chestnuts resurface from time to time. Over the past 40 years, A Christmas Carol has been the holiday show seven times (1982, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2008, 2017 and 2018), with Jan Alexandra Smith‘s critically acclaimed turn in the role of Scrooge in that most recent production.
This year, it’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the musical based on British writer Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel. Smith is directing, with Alexandra Kane as musical director. In the role of Willy Wonka: Mark Uhre, the London native whose growing list of credits includes performances on Broadway, the Stratford Festival, the Shaw Festival and numerous other theatres, including that other London’s Globe Theatre.
Uhre has been acting professionally since the age of 12 and is an alumnus of the Grand’s High School Project, for which he played Tony in the 1998 production of West Side Story, directed by Michael Shamata. More recently, Uhre starred as Bert the chimney sweep in 2019’s Mary Poppins. It’s one of the joys of living in cities such as London, Ont., whether at the theatre or on the ice of Budweiser Gardens: Audiences get to witness the rise of upcoming stars just as they take the professional leap to bigger stages.
Both Charlie Buckets in this production are worth tracking in that way; both are making their Grand debut. Neela Noble, 15, is a student at H.B. Beal Secondary School and a graduate of the Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts. Greyson Reign Armer, 8, is a Grade 3 pupil at Cedar Hollow Public School and has been active in local amateur theatre scene for several years. A promotional video produced by the theatre features both Neela and Greyson in conversation.
Patrons at this year’s holiday show should once again expect a pitch, at the end of the performance, for a cash donation to the London Food Bank through its Business Cares program. Over the past six years, those solicitations have raised more than $400,000 for the local charity. A full 100 per cent of funds raised goes to the food bank and the homes of those in need.
No formal analysis exists, but it would be interesting to know if the Grand’s holiday shows draw bigger audiences for seasonal fare, such as A Christmas Carol or Miracle on 34th Street, or for productions that aren’t season-specific, such as Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz or, in this case, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My guess is it makes little difference; that the state of the local economy, in general, is likely the bigger factor.
An advance feature on the show in The London Free Press is here.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Spriet Stage, The Grand Theatre, London, Ontario
Runs Nov. 21 to Dec. 24, 2023
Book by David Greig
Music by Marc Shaiman
Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman
Based on the novel by Roald Dahl
Songs from the motion picture by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Directed by Jan Alexandra Smith
Musical director Alexandra Kane
Choreography by Robin Calvert
ArtsBeat 