By TR Robertson Photos by Rich Soublet II
Since 1964, Roald Dahl’s imaginative tale of an eccentric candy factory owner named Willy Wonka and five lucky children, who find a Golden Ticket that will allow them to venture into the magical world of the candy factory, has captivated the imagination of young and old for years. From Dahl’s 1964 novel to the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder to the 2005 Johnny Depp movie to the 2025 Timothee Chalamet movie and don’t forget the 2010 opera “Golden Ticket”, Willy Wonka’s story has remained alive and well. What was missing was a Broadway musical, but that was taken care of in 2013 with the premiere of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at London’s Palladium theatre, now known as the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and opening on Broadway in 2017 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre . There is even a “Wonka’s Golden Ticket” reality show in the works for this year featuring the AI voice of Gene Wilder. Many seeing Moonlight’s regional theater premiere of the musical were unaware that the story had become a musical. The musical is taken from a book by David Greig with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman.
The 25-member cast and 14 member Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Orchestra along with the wonderful Production and Technical Crew, all under the direction of Moonlight’s Producing Artistic Director Steven Glaudini, Choreographer Katie Banville and Music Director and Conductor Tamara Paige, spellbound and mesmerized the audience with great performances and voices and very colorful and imaginative sets and backdrop projections.
The storyline is fairly simple, candy factory owner Willy Wonka knows he will need a replacement at some time, so he comes up with the idea of running a contest where he had hidden 5 Golden Tickets in candy bars for a trip in the candy factory. The impoverished Charlie Bucket loves the candy bars but can only afford one Wonka Bar a year on his birthday. As fate would have it, Charlie and a disguised Willy Wonka meet in a candy shop, Willy is posing as a proprietor of the shop. They hit is off and you feel Willy is going to do what he can to help Charlie, without telling him. The tickets begin to be found, 4 by some of the most selfish, spoiled, downright nasty kids you could imagine. Charlie is able to somehow find a Golden Ticket and the 5 kids, along with an adult for each, enter the candy factory. Charlies grandfather, Grandpa Joe, accompanies him. One by one, 4 of the kids, not including Charlie, meet somewhat humorous endings, but Willy assures the parents the unusual Oompa Loompas will make everything alright. Charlie is declared the winner, even supplying a list of inventions for the candy factory, and all of his family members will now live in the factory.
As with any musical, the casting and performances of the actors are the key to the audience’s enjoyment of the play, and the selection of Aiden Granum as Charlie Bucket and Josh Adamson as Willy Wonka are two did not miss selections. Seventh grader Adien is making his Moonlight debut. He had great stage presence, a strong voice and did a wonderful job of presenting Charlie with empathy and sensitivity. Returning to Moonlight, veteran performer Josh Adamson also had a strong voice and was funny as the unusual Wonka.
The young people playing the 4 other Golden ticket winners were also exceptional. Riley Campen is making her Moonlight debut and played the “wantabe” LA pop star Violet Beauregarde; Colette Coogan played a very spoiled Russian ballerina Veruca Salt; Andrew Gorman, also making his Moonlight Debut, played the mean-spirited American teenager video gamer Mike Teavee, and Jacob Isaac Peterson plays the always hungry Bavarian boy Augustus Gloop, Jacob is also making his Moonlight debut.
The adults who accompany the boys and girls on their Candy Factory trip are theater veterans Steve Gunderson as Grandpa Joe, Award-winning Melinda Gilb as Mrs. Gloop, E.Y. Washington as Mr. Beauregarde, Johnny Fletcher as Mr. Salt, and Award-winning Eileen Bowman as Mrs. Teavee. Gilb and Bowman get some of the loudest laughs of the musical as the over-the-top parents. Catie Sapper plays Charlie’s mother, Mrs. Bucket, singing Charlie the emotional song “If Your Father Were Here”. Playing two funny and exuberant television reporters are Aaron Stewart as Jerry Jubilee and Erica Marie Weisz as Cherry Sundae.
The Production and Technical Crew for the musical include Scenic Designer Andrew Hammer, Lighting Designer Jennifer Edwards, Costume Designer Ryan Moller, Sound Designer Jim Zadai, Production Designer Blake McCarty, Hair & Wig Designer Peter Herman, Properties Designer Chaunsa Oyos and Rogelio Rosales, Stage Manager Stanley D. Cohen, Associate Choreographer & Dance Captain Susanna Vaughan, and Associate Music Director Michelle Gray.
This is a perfect musical to take the family to on a summer evening. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will be on stage at Moonlight Amphitheatre until July 25th. Tickets are available at 760-724-2110 or go to www.moonlightstage.com. Next on the Moonlight Stage will be Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls”, beginning on August 12th.
