Second Street Players to present 'Willy Wonka'
Roald Dahl’s timeless tale about a candy man and his chocolate factory will be brought to Riverfront Theater’s stage in Second Street Players’ holiday production of the musical, “Willy Wonka.”
The show runs for two weekends with performances Nov. 23, 24, 25 and 30, and Dec 1 and 2. The Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m. Sunday matinees begin at 3 p.m. Riverfront Theater is at 2 S. Walnut St. in downtown Milford. Plenty of free parking is available near the theater.
“Willy Wonka” features all the favorite songs from the film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” such as “The Candy Man,” “Pure Imagination,” “Oompa Loompa” and “I Want it Now.” Roald Dahl's 1964 novel has twice been made into a hit film. The 1971 musical film starred Gene Wilder as the mysterious Wonka, with Johnny Depp taking the role in the 2005 remake.
The stage musical follows enigmatic candy manufacturer Willy Wonka as he stages a contest by hiding five golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whoever comes up with these tickets will win a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as a lifetime supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are insufferable brats. The fifth is a likeable young lad named Charlie Bucket, who takes the tour in the company of his equally amiable grandfather. The children must learn to follow Mr. Wonka’s rules in the factory - or suffer the consequences.
“Willy Wonka” features a cast of more than 20, ranging in age from 7 to 70. The title role of Willy Wonka is played by Eric Hamilton of Magnolia. Hamilton was most recently seen as the Tin Woodsman in Second Street Players’ spring production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
The five Golden Ticket winners include Charlie Bucket (Devon Lynch, Georgetown), the gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde (Hadley O’Day, Milford), the spoiled Veruca Salt (Melanie Newark, Harrington), perpetually hungry Augustus Gloop (Andrew Hall, Milford) and the pistol-packing Mike Teavee (Richard Gallo, Rehoboth Beach).
“Willy Wonka” is directed by Susan Newark from Harrington. “Everyone has probably seen the movie,” Newark said, “but on stage it’s a whole different experience. We came up with a lot of creative ways to tell the story and show Willy Wonka’s amazing chocolate factory.”
Reserved tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and under. For details, or to reserve tickets, go to secondstreetplayers.com. Tickets may also be purchased by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006.
Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka” (Theatre for Young Audiences version) is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. The production is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.
