Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (franchise) co-production with American Lyric Theater and Wexford Festival Opera. A musical based on the novel, titled "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" premiered at the West End's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in May 2013 and officially opened on 25 June. The show is directed by Sam Mendes, with new songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and stars Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka. The production broke records for weekly ticket sales. Coincidentally, Hodge was also the voice of a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory audiobook, as part of a package of Roald Dahl CDs read by celebrities. There are two "Charlie
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (musical) musical is based on the 1964 children's novel by Roald Dahl. Producers held a first reading of the first act from the show in New York City in May 2010, with the intention of opening in London the following year. Officially confirmed on 18 June 2012, producers announced that the show would play the London Palladium beginning in May 2013, with tickets going on sale in October 2012, before the venue was later changed to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The book was written by playwright David Greig with original score composed by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman