Last Wednesday we braved the storm and the Tube strike to go and see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. I love this theatre, it has something very intimate and it is fully charged with history. The last time we were there was to watch a performance of Shrek, but it was without the boys.

This time we took them with us. Their first West End show…

I was so excited about it, it was unbearable! I couldn’t wait to see their faces and hear their reactions…

The fact is that they were happy and excited but considerably less than me. Until they took a glimpse of the Oompa Loompas on a picture by the theatre entrance. The mood uplifted greatly and was set there and then. They now couldn’t wait either.

We sat comfortably and let the show begin!

As expected it was amazing. The whole cast was excellent, Charlie, Willy Wonka, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt… and the Oompa Loompas were all totally brilliant…!

There is really two parts to the show: the before the break and the after the break.

Before the break it is all about setting the scene but unfortunately this is quite a slow process. E was mesmerised from start to finish but V got bored and ready to go home by the end of the first part… I was so worried it wasn’t going to be a good memory for him, but it all changed in the second part.

After the break it took off with a bang: splashes of colours, lively songs, fast paced story and the OOMPA LOOMPAS!!! As you guessed we liked the Oompa Loompas very much.

The second part totally made up for the slow start and I would definitely recommend the show as a family show however I have reservation for children under 7.

Disclaimer: we were offered 3 tickets out of 4 to watch the show