You don’t have to be Charlie Bucket to get your golden ticket. You can still purchase one for Fennimore High School’s production of “Willy Wonka” to be performed this Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

The play is a musical adaptation of the classic children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl by Leslie Bricusse and Timothy Allen McDonald.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Willy Wonka, the greatest candy maker in the world, has a problem. It’s time for him to retire, but he needs someone to take over. Who will make new candy dreams come true?

Willy Wonka gathers all the Oompa Loompas to announce his retirement and the search for the perfect “bright spark” of a child to replace him.

Meanwhile, Charlie Bucket lives in a tiny shack with his family. They are very, very poor. Charlie’s dad reads in the newspaper that Mr. Willy Wonka is having a contest! Golden Tickets have been hidden in five bars of chocolate; the lucky people who find Golden Tickets will win a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

The first four golden tickets are found by the gluttonous Augustus Gloop, the spoiled and petulant Veruca Salt, the gum-addicted Violet Beauregarde, and the TV-obsessed Mike Teavee.

One day, as the city is blanketed in a deep snow, Charlie encounters the Candy Man on the way to school. Charlie finds a coin buried in the snow and asks the Candy Man if it belongs to him. The Candy Man rewards Charlie with a Wonka bar for being “such a good kid.” The starving boy wolfs it down and then immediately purchases another... finding the final Golden Ticket! He runs home to tell his family the news, and they decide Grandpa Joe should accompany Charlie on the tour of Wonka’s factory.

On the day of the tour, the children and their family are warned to follow the rules. But each falls prey to temptation, with amazing results. At the conclusion of the tour, Charlie does something remarkable: he thanks Wonka for the tour and admits to breaking the rules by tasting the Fizzy Lifting Drink. Wonka reveals the truth: that the tour was a test of character, and only Charlie has succeeded!

For those who are fans of the 1971 Gene Wilder film, you will find remembered tunes in addition to music created by Bricusse for this adaptation.

...

Tickets

Advance tickets are available for purchase at the school during regular school hours, $5 per adult and $4 per student or child. Tickets may also be purchased at the door the night of the performance for slightly more, $7 per adult and $5 per student or child.

...

For the complete article, pease see the Nov. 2, 2017 issue of the Fennimore Times.