The evening will be hosted by BBC Radio 2’s Sir Terry Wogan.  Tickets for this special evening will go on sale on Friday 13th September via the BBC Radio 2 website.

A host of BBC Radio 2 DJs and celebrity friends will be in attendance, and as well as enjoying the regular performance of the show, theatre goers will be able to upgrade their tickets to include a very special VIP experience.

Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Olivier and Tony Award®-winning actor Douglas Hodge plays Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 25th June 2013 (currently booking until 31 May 2014).

Alongside Douglas Hodge, the cast includes Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe, Clive Carter as Mr Salt, Jasna Ivir as Mrs Gloop, Paul J Medford as Mr Beauregarde, Iris Roberts as Mrs Teavee, Billy Boyle as Grandpa George, Roni Page as Grandma Josephine and Myra Sands as Grandma Georgina.

Full cast: Douglas Hodge, Nigel Planer, Clive Carter, Jasna Ivir, Paul J Medford, Iris Roberts, Billy Boyle, Roni Page, Myra Sands, Alex Clatworthy, Jack Shalloo, Joe Allen, David Birch, Alex Louize Bird, Michelle Bishop, Simon Campbell, Matthew Clark, Jennifer Davison, Ross Dawes, Nia Fisher, Kate Graham, Derek Hagen, Clare Halse, Mark Iles, Daniel Ioannou, Kieran Jae, Mireia Mambo Bokele, Jane McMurtrie, Natalie Moore-Williams, Sherrie Pennington, Damien Poole, Antony Reed, Paul Saunders and Jay Webb.

When Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it’s the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he’s always dreamed of.  But beyond the gates astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors, and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems.

ROALD DAHL’s deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a brand new West End musical directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes.

Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Grammy® winners for Hairspray; Smash), a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig (Midsummer; Creditors; Tintin In Tibet), set and costume designs by Mark Thompson (Mamma Mia!; One Man, Two Guvnors) and choreography by Peter Darling (Billy Elliot; Matilda).

Douglas Hodge is an Olivier and Tony Award®-winning actor and four-time Olivier-nominated actor/director, who has worked at the National Theatre, the RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Royal Court Theatre. On Broadway, he recently starred at the American Airlines Theatre in the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac, for the Roundabout Theatre Company. He won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for his Broadway debut in La Cage Aux Folles, having already won the Olivier Award for the same performance in London. For ten years he worked closely with Harold Pinter, and he was Associate Director at the Donmar from 2007 to 2009. He has released two albums of his own compositions 'Cowley Road Songs' and 'Nightbus', and won the Stiles and Drewe 2012 Best New Song Award for ‘Powercut’. Alongside numerous television credits, his feature films include Vanity Fair, Robin Hood, the soon to be released Serena, and Diana – in which he plays Paul Burrell, butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.

This world premiere musical is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions.

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