Pure Imagination: Karylle steps into the Chocolate Factory

The multi-awarded Filipino performer leads the cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the global Broadway musical making its long-awaited Manila premiere at The Theatre at Solaire from July 8 to 26, 2026. She plays Mrs. Bucket, the warm, steadfast mother anchoring young Charlie's impossible dream — a role that suits an artist whose career has been built on exactly that kind of quiet, enduring grace.

A career that speaks for ttself

Karylle's stage credits read like a greatest hits of Philippine musical theatre: West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Little Mermaid, and the original Filipino musical Rama Hari, among others — each earning her recognition from major award-giving bodies, including the Aliw Awards. Mrs. Bucket is her next chapter, and if her track record is any guide, it will be memorable.

Joining her are Oliver T. Wong and Cohen Toukatly alternating as young Charlie Bucket, Steve McCoy as the beloved Grandpa Joe, and a supporting cast that brings the eccentric Bucket household to life with charm and heart.

Welcome to the Factory

The story needs little introduction — Charlie's golden ticket, Willy Wonka's mysterious factory, chocolate rivers, nut-sorting squirrels, and those irrepressible Oompa-Loompas. What this production brings is spectacle on a scale that stage technology now makes possible: cutting-edge hologauze 3D effects and illusions designed by renowned Las Vegas magic designer Tim Clothier, all executed by an all-Broadway creative team.

The music is equally stacked. Expect beloved songs from the classic 1971 film — Pure Imagination, The Candy Man, I've Got a Golden Ticket — alongside original compositions by Grammy and Tony Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the duo behind Hairspray and Mary Poppins Returns.

A production with pedigree

This isn't a regional approximation of a Broadway show — it is a Broadway show, on tour. The original New York run clocked over 300 performances before a four-year North American tour. Its West End incarnation took home two Olivier Awards. Now, as part of a two-to-three-year Asian tour hitting Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Taipei, and Seoul, Manila is one of the chosen stops.

Presented by Broadway International Group and Broadway Asia, in association with AMA Group of Companies and GMG Productions — with local chocolate brand Auro Chocolate adding a fitting sweet touch as special participant — the Manila run is shaping up to be one of the theatrical events of the year.

Get your Golden Ticket

Tickets are available via TicketWorld. Follow @charlieglobaltour on Instagram for updates.

Karylle on a Solaire stage, Wonka's world in full spectacle, and one of the most beloved stories ever told. Some invitations don't come twice.