The world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory beckons at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Theatre. If you are a fan of the book, this is a chance to catch the live musical rendition of Roald Dahl’s beloved story!
Our theatregoing experience started early! En route to the musical, we spied the special three-day light up of Willy Wonka’s trademark top-hatted silhouette on ArtScience Museum’s façade and themed colours illuminating the Marina Bay Sands.
Pre-show at the theatre entrance, we were greeted with a chocolate-painted photo wall accented with chocolate lollipops by Singapore Chocolatier-Artisan Janice Wong, on display throughout the musical season.
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
The musical opened with the bright-eyed Willy Wonka (Daniel Plimpton) emerging from his factory, with a glimpse of the corridor of its mysterious passages projected behind him.
Garbed in his black top hat, plum-coloured velvet tailcoat and bottlegreen pants, his resonant tenor voice and mischievous presence carried the show, breaking out unexpectedly with local references that surprised the Singapore audience and of course, Wonkaisms such as “no island is a man”, along with magic tricks and treats like hot ice-cream on a cold day and “liquid sunshine” lollipop inventions named by Charlie Bucket.
For the first half of the musical, we journey with Charlie Bucket (Oliver Wong) from his hardworking and compassionate life of poverty with his family living in a freezing hovel to the start of his golden ticket adventure, accompanied by his buoyantly comical Grandpa Joe (Steve McCoy), as they pass through the great gates of Willy Wonka’s enchanted chocolate factory.
The big day is also captured by the swarming paparazzi and news reporters. The other four rich, obnoxious Golden Ticket winners from different parts of the world are over-the-top caricatures.
Greedy Augustus Gloop (Sam Nackman), the pampered pirouetting Veruca Salt (Allison Gann), media-crazed Violet Beauregarde (Giselle Amarisa Watts) and screen-addicted Mike Teavee (DJ Plunkett), with their indulgent parents, are introduced through their own distinct songs ranging from Bavarian folk, funk-pop to jazz and rock.
Into the Magical Chocolate Factory
In the second half, we enter the fantastic factory led by its eccentric host, with its remarkable rooms, sensational sweets, scene-stealing odd Oompa-Loompas, scary sorting squirrels, marvellous magic and special screens of wonderful wizardry!
Clever puppetry, props, costumes and choreography were brilliant and added to the hilarity, along with colourful projections extending the picturesque set.
However, The Chocolate Room, magical in some parts, did not quite match up to my imagination with the chocolate waterfall depicted digitally. Reading Roald Dahl’s book as a child made me crave for the spectacle of The Chocolate Room with its tremendous waterfall of hot melted frothy chocolate coupled with the “gleaming pink boiled sweet boat” down the Chocolate River.
Nevertheless, the factory scenes were a visual treat with upbeat atmosphere, despite some dark undertones but we know the story.
Warning: as the Golden Ticket winners misbehave in the factory and their actions lead to their downfall, dismembered and exploding bodies may scare younger kids, although older children and adults cracked up in laughter with horrified humour!
Fuelling the high-energy show, the live orchestra music under the dynamic baton of Music Director Jeff Cox was bright with colour, along with new catchy numbers by Grammy and Tony Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman as well as classic songs like “Pure Imagination”, “The Candy Man” and Grandpa Joe’s “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” yippee duet with Charlie.
Mrs Bucket (Jill-Christine Wiley), struggling to make ends meet as a single parent, gifts us beautifully with a poignant but sparkling song, “If Your Father Were Here”.
A Rousing Ending
The curtain call was also a crowd-pleasing sing-a-long as the audience belted out along with the cast:
“The Candy Man makes everything he bakes
Satisfying and delicious
Talk about your childhood wishes
You can even eat the dishes!”
As diehard fans of the story, the kids and their Mummy (yours truly) enjoyed the Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight-fully heartwarming show with a touch of whimsical as a whole.
Dreams do come true if one stays humble, kind and imaginative, with integrity.
Now to find some chocolate!
Details of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical in Singapore
Presented by Broadway International Group and Broadway Asia, in collaboration with Base Entertainment Asia, this Broadway production kicks off its Southeast Asia tour with Singapore. A show for audiences of all ages, whether fans of the book, the films, or just musicals.
Look out for Wonka’s Surprise Golden Ticket Campaign, exclusive to the Singapore run (there may be a Golden Ticket with rewards from participating partners under selected seats!) and exclusive Marina Bay Sands dining experiences at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, KOMA Singapore, Origin + Bloom, along with the sale of exclusive Wonka chocolate bars featuring collectable Golden Ticket packaging – to make the experience even more scrumptious!
Ticketing Information
Performance Season: 19 May 2026 to 14 June 2026
Performance Venue: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands
Performance Schedule
Tuesdays to Fridays: 8 pm;
Saturdays: 2 pm and 8 pm;
Sundays: 1 pm and 6.30 pm
Performance Duration
2 hours 10 minutes (including a 20-minute intermission)
Performance Ticket Booking Links
Marina Bay Sands Ticketing
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