Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Gareth Snook on becoming Willy Wonka in hit musical

Roald Dahl appears to be having a bit of a renaissance on screen, but actor Gareth Snook tells Denise O’Donoghue the fascination with the Candy Man never went away

Gareth Snook who plays Willy Wonka in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory - The Musical. Picture: Johan Persson/

From last year’s film adaptation of Matilda The Musical with Dublin star Alisha Weir to the upcoming release of Wonka, a prequel to the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Timothée Chalamet, it could be argued that we are experiencing a Roald Dahl renaissance in recent years. 

However, Gareth Snook, the star of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical, which is coming to Dublin this December and was inspired by one of the author’s best-known books, says the world never fell out of love with Dahl’s timeless works for it to need a renaissance.