Sweet Willy Wonka a treat at Beamsville
Dedication and imagination were the theme as the cast of Beamsville District Secondary School brought their audience into a world of pure imagination through their production of “Willy Wonka, The Musical.”
Based off the well-known 1964 Roald Dahl book, and adapted for the stage by Bricusse and McDonald, Willy Wonka shares the tale of an ingenious candy man and his quest to find a successor.
Wonka sends out five golden tickets hidden in chocolate. The first four are discovered by children who are used to getting what they want. The fifth ticket is found by chance on the last day by poor, good-hearted Charlie Bucket. With these tickets the children enter the chocolate factory, unknowingly being tested to see
his journey has a happy ending for those who are truthful, but teaches a lesson to those who are not.
In Act One we meet Charlie Bucket (Emily Lepp), a boy from a poor family that is always in good spirits.
The duet “Think Positive” performed with Mr. Bucket (Nathan Boogers) shows the connection between Charlie and his father and let the audience learn more about Charlie through Lepp’s embodiment of a child’s hope and positivity.
Sage Lunshof (Willy Wonka) captivated the audience with her commanding stage presence and perfect balance of Wonka’s charming, yet often insensitive, personality. Her ability to seamlessly switch between the serious and the crazy kept the audience and characters on their toes.
The strong vocals of Thomas Melmer, portraying the supportive, Grandpa Joe, stood out in his duets with Charlie and as part of the comedic ensemble with Grandpa George (Houston Davis), and Grandma Josephine, Grandma Georgina (Haylee Budjan, Ryleigh Moyer) the audience had lots of laughs. The bedridden foursome used excellent voice inflection to create their interactions.
Act Two brings us into the factory where each child falls victim to their own greed. First the gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Daniel Seehagel) whose gestures communicated well the pure joy of tasting the chocolate river before he falls in, to the demanding, whiny Veruca Salt (Karyssa Levere) singing “I Want It Now!” ending in her falling down a garbage shoot using a convincing voice echo to sound like she really is falling, before the hilarious squirrels conclude she is a ‘bad nut.’
Wonka’s “refugee” workers, the Oompa-Loompas, provide a humorous musical narrative throughout. Playing the OompaLoompas were students from four elementary schools, for many it was their first time on stage and they had a great level of professionalism and wonderful Oompa-Loompa energy!
Adding to the fantastic cast was the musical soundscape provided by the 12 student musicians. As well as an amazing props, technical and lighting team who all provided the overall magical experience of being in the Willy Wonka factory.
Beamsville Secondary School students should be extremely proud of their efforts as they truly brought the sweetness of the Chocolate Factory to life on their stage!