“Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination,” sings Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, and now in the stage adaptation of “Willy Wonka” coming to the Valley Players Theater, starring Wes Olds, Graniteville, as the eponymous candymaker. Many may be familiar with Roald Dahl’s whimsical 1964 children’s novel, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and its 1972 sequel, “Charlie and the Glass Elevator,” as well as the 1971 film and its 2005 reboot. The original novel and film were adapted for Broadway with additional songs, which are now brought to The Valley Players stage June 29 through July 16.
“I thought it would be a really fun show, not only for the cast, but for the community,” said director Ruth Ann Pattee, Fayston. “Willy Wonka” is the Valley Players’ first musical since pre-pandemic.
The family-friendly musical boasts a cast of 21, including actors of all ages and even some families sharing the stage. The loveable Charlie Bucket is played by Zane Demarais and his mother, Cassandra Demarais (both of Websterville) portrays Charlie’s mother, Mrs. Bucket. Grandmother-granddaughter Charlotte and Ava Robinson are also in the cast as Mrs. Beauregarde and an Oompa Loompa. Husband-wife duo Marci and Joe Robinson, Warren, play side-by-side as Charlie’s bedridden grandparents, Grandma Georgina and Grandpa George. Charlie’s other set of grandparents is played by Joanne Puente, Worcester, as Grandma Josephine and Clem Turmel, Milton, as Grandpa Joe, Charlie’s positive-thinking companion as they tour Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Charlie’s father, Mr. Bucket, is played by Matt Bellew, St. Albans.
The wonderfully bratty group of children who, along with Charlie, win golden tickets to the secretive chocolate factory, brings laughs to the show. Glutton Augustus Gloop is played by Jane Schaefer, Waitsfield; the spoiled Veruca Salt is played by Camille Edgcomb, Warren; Naomi Niewiadomski, Waitsfield, plays gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde and the tech-obsessed Mike Teavee is played by Tarin Askew, Warren. Technology has changed since the 1971 film; now Mike’s fixation on TV includes video games, cellphones and other devices.
The hilariously clueless parents who chaperone their children at the factory are Mrs. Gloop, played by Carrie Phillips, Waterbury; Mr. Salt, played by Jordan Streeter, Montpelier; Mrs. Beauregarde, portrayed by Charlotte Robinson, Warren; and Mrs. Teavee, played by Stefanie Seng, Waterbury. Other actors include Ashley Hall, Warren, as The Candy Man/reporter Phineous Trout; and the Oompa Loompas, played by Tommy O’Grady, Waitsfield; Sunny Randall, Moretown; Ava Robinson, Warren; and Elizabeth Treacy, Fayston.
The production team includes artistic director/choreographer Ruth Ann Pattee, Fayston; music director/conductor Michael Halloran, Barre; stage manager Joanne Puente, Worcester; assistant stage manager Pam Chisholm, Waitsfield; set designer Shannon Sanborn, Barre; set build crew chief Doug Bergstein, Warren; scenic artists Shannon Sanborn, Ashley Hall, Cassandra Demarias, and Karen Noone, Moretown; lighting designer Irene Halibozek, Williston; lighting operator Jasper Mayone, Fayston.
In the off-stage band, Molly Finkel plays bassoon; Lynnzie Resler on flute; Ryan Spooner plays violin; Joe Surkiewicz plays double bass; and Michael Halloran, piano and conductor.
There will be 12 performances of “Willy Wonka” at the Valley Players Theater on Main Street in Waitsfield. “Willy Wonka” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
The show runs approximately two hours with an intermission. Performances will be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays, July 2 and 16, at 4 p.m. There will be a sensory-friendly show on Sunday, July 9, at 2 p.m., sponsored in part by Washington County Mental Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. To purchase tickets, and for more information, go to valleyplayers.com.
