Review: 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' leaves a bitter taste

LONDON — All the best ingredients in the world don't guarantee a great chocolate bar, as Willy Wonka would be the first to attest. There's magic in the preparation, a special alchemy that can elude even a master confectioner's best effort. The same evidently holds true for new musicals. The latest proof is "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which had its much-anticipated West End opening last week at the historic Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The cream of British and American theater teamed up to bring to the stage this favorite Roald Dahl fable about a sweet-natured poor kid named Charlie who wins a golden ticket to enter a competition with a bunch of greedy brats for a grand prize at...