I'm not a Slugworth-style joyless person by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel that as I get older (and perhaps more cynical), not much makes me laugh out loud. It came as a surprise, then, when I noticed my face was aching less than an hour in to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at The Hippodrome.

It's a laugh-a-minute shot of pure joy and I'm pretty certain my pal now has rib injuries from my repeated elbowing every time something wonderful happened. And I'd say they come once every five words of dialogue.

I admit to being more familiar with the 1971 Gene Wilder movie retelling of Roald Dahl's tale than of the book itself, but I recognised touches of both on the stage, from lines of dialogue straight from the pages and Gene's sinister complexity in the character of Willy Wonka and the world he's created.

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While this stage adaptation follows the story closely in most ways, in others it has tinkered with it, changes that have refreshed it enough to make me feel as though I was hearing it all for the first time. For a start, our Charlie in The Hippodrome was a little girl, Scottish actress Jessie-Lou Harvie always staying on the right side of lovable without crossing over into goodie-two-shoes territory.

The story of little Charlie is a tragic one and yet they've kept the bleakness minimal, instead focusing on Charlie's tenacity, positivity and the family's resilience and love for one another. I was relieved to see it.

It's not the only darkness the creators of this production have kept at bay. While Willy talks of the duplicitous concept-nicking baddies that have plagued his business, we don't have to deal with any of them sneaking up on Charlie in back alleys or offering cash for secrets. I was relieved to see that too!

It's important to note, with all that said, that this production is not all sweetness and light. As soon as we met Mr Willy Wonka (Gareth Snook) at the gates of his factory, I started to recoil in my seat. When I laughed with him, I had no clue whether I was supposed to be. When I smiled, I also cringed a little bit in an unidentifiable discomfort.

After his first big song, I turned to my friend and said: "I feel scared a bit!" She did as well. It was a masterful portrayal and I reckon Roald Dahl, who never seemed to forget just how thin and fragile the line between happiness and horror is, would have loved it.

I want to tell you about the hilarious songs, the clever way that they made Golden Ticket winners Mike Teavee, Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt and Violet Beauregarde so hateful. The sinister Oompa Loompas who were more mechanical harbingers of doom than playful orange characters, but we'd be here all day.

I want to share with you the nuances of Willy Wonka's character, the way I felt like I recognised subtle nods to The Shining in his factory, the weird subversive horrors as they travel through it and the way they've balanced technology with reality to make the whole world come to life, but I think perhaps you'd be better off seeing it for yourself.

I was really surprised at how happy I felt to see myself in Charlie. As she conversed with her mom in sign language, I was reminded of just how important it is for theatregoers to be able to see themselves represented in productions like this one.

Every beat felt like it had purpose, no space was wasted. From curtain up to the close of the show, I ate it all up like Augustus Gloop at a bottomless buffet. Brilliant, captivating, joyful and clever, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a scrumdiddlyumptious treat for the soul.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory plays from now until November 5. Tickets are priced from £22 and are available here.