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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
by STAR Repertory Theatre
Lyrics and Music by
Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, adapted for the stage by Leslie Bricusse and
Timothy Allen McDonald, and based on the book “Charlie and The Chocolate
Factory” by Roald Dahl. Without the singular imagination and storytelling of Roald
Dahl, we’d never know about the Oompa Loompas, Whangdoodles, or Vermicious
Knids. Nowadays everyone’s heard of a snozzberry. And without the music makers
and dreamers of the dreams like Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, there
wouldn’t be the classic musical film adaptation of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder as the
mysterious candyman whose factory has captivated children for more than forty
years. The stage production skips the film’s everlasting gobstopper corporate
espionage subplot and a few classic lines, but it includes some good new tunes
and all the old tunes like Pure
Imagination and The Candyman. Not
to mention all Roald Dahl’s unforgettable characters and the magic of
Wonka’s chocolate factory still kindling the imagination of children of all
ages. THE PRODUCTION: STAR Repertory Theatre always adds creativity and clever
ways to give their young performers more opportunities to shine and learn on
stage, and directors Chris Bona and Scott
Kolod’s production at the California Center of the Arts in Escondido
begins with a pre-show featuring the show’s reporter Phoebe conducting
television interviews (video camera connected to a projector, thereby televising the
stage interviews). The show is triple-cast,
and in this "Whipple-Scrumptious" cast it’s nine-year-old Elianna
Vazquez interviewing young members of the audience, introducing many to
their first time on stage, Elianna asking questions and doing a bit of improv
with replies and follow-up questions, never knowing quite what to expect. When
Elianna asked one interviewee what she wanted to be when she grew up, the very young
girl answered hopefully, “I want to be Hello Kitty.” As the eccentric Mr. Willy Wonka, Jeffrey Yarush takes delight in dishing out the teasing on his
peculiar bunch of Golden Ticket winners. Golden Ticket Winner #5 Charlie Bucket
is Jeffrey’s real-life younger brother Michael
Yarush who perks up his dejected, recently laid off father Mr. Bucket (Riley
Fisher) with gusto in their duet Think
Positive, and he’s thrilled with his Golden Ticket and awed by the
chocolate factory. The other golden ticket winners include Yuliana
Rocio as Augustus (singing I Eat More
with Mrs. Gloop/Natalie Honn), Gabe
Rasmussen as gizmo-addicted Mike Teavee, Madelyne Quiroz as sassy, gum-obsessed Violet, and Sydney
Olson who is a delightful spoiled brat singing I
Want It Now and has a remarkably effective, ear-piercing scream when her
wants are thwarted. The Bucket family delivers great performances featuring Mr.
Bucket and Mrs. Bucket (Lexie Machado)
along with Charlie’s humorous grandparents (Jonathan
Garis, Madison Smits, Skyler
Shortley, and Brodi Treadway) who
play off each other extremely well. Anastasia
Raymond brings terrific charisma and vocals to the Candyman. The young Oompa
Loompas shine with their big finale morality lesson on television overdosing,
and Ofelia Slugworth (Lillian Broschart)
and the cast kick it all off with The
Golden Age of Chocolate. They do it all amongst some cool and clever sets
for the factory that at times includes some of the cast as set pieces including
kids costumed as M&Ms, candy canes, and gumball machines in that place of Pure
Imagination – The Chocolate Room. Performed October 24 - 27, 2013 Rob Hopper ~ Whipple-Scrumptious Cast ~
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