Sweet Treat
The sweet sounds of the infamous candy man are being heard at the William A. Lehnerd Performance Hall in Memorial Park as the Musical Theatre Guild puts the finishing touches on its fall production, "Willy Wonka."
This musical treat for the whole family features music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and such memorable songs as "The Candy Man," "I Want It Now!" and "Pure Imagination." Roald Dahl's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is brought to life on stage.
Holly Cooper, who is one of the producers of the show, said the musical is a combination of both feature films and even more. "There are aspects of both of the movie productions included in the stage version plus a little more. There are added songs, but the characters and their personalities remain the same," Cooper said.
Dahl's children's classic is about a poor boy who is one of five lucky children to win a field trip to a famous but mysterious chocolate factory. The eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka has decided to retire and wants to choose a successor to help run his empire.
A movie version first came to the screen in 1971 from Paramount as "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder. Warner's modern take came out in 2005, titled "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" starring Johnny Depp as Wonka.
In the MTG production, Reese Fleeger of Center Township will be tackling the role of Wonka.
"Willy Wonka is definitely a well known character, especially with lots of children. I'm really excited to put my own spin on the part, and try to add a bit of my own quirks and eccentricities to the role," said Fleeger, who noted that he is trying not to emulate either Wilder or Depp's version of the man himself.
"I love getting to be out there, eccentric, weird and unconventional. Willy has a lot of weird lines and a lot of weird ideas, and I love having the opportunity to bring that out," Fleeger said.
The story is full of unique characters other than Wonka. The cast of folks who win a spot on Wonka's tour are full of their own idiosyncrasies.
Jessica Ortiz of Penn Township landed the role of the snotty Veruca Salt. "She is a spoiled little rich girl who's father buys her everything she wants — and she wants everything — NOW! When playing this character, I am trying to be true to Veruca's obnoxious behavior that was portrayed in the movies but with a little more style," said Ortiz of her character.
Ortiz, who is in sixth grade at Knoch Middle School and has been singing and acting for years, is delighted with the opportunity to play this role.
"Playing Veruca makes me feel powerful and in control since she gets to boss everyone around. I also have a great time singing my solo, "I Want it Now." This is my first solo in a musical and I am grateful to have the opportunity to showcase my voice during this song," Ortiz said.
While everything is exciting for her, she said the role does present a challenge because she isn't anything like Veruca. "The biggest challenge in playing her is having to act disrespectful to the adults on stage. Veruca calls some of the actors names, and in real life, I would never talk to people that way," she said.
At the performance, MTG will be holding its traditional raffle and selling some souvenirs from the show. The production opens Oct. 16. All seats are reserved.
<B>WHO: </B>Musical Theatre Guild<B>WHAT: </B>"Willy Wonka"<B>WHEN: </B>8 p.m. Oct. 16 and 17 and 3 p.m. Oct. 17 and 18<B>WHERE: </B>Succop Theater at Butler County Community College<B>TICKETS: </B>$15 for adults and $12 for students at May's Music Shoppe, 247 E. Jefferson St. between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Call 724-283-5811.
