LOGAN — Charlie and the Chocolate Factory explores a world of candy, character, and imagination. This beloved book by Roald Dahl has seen various adaptations, including multiple movies, and now, a Broadway musical. The musical carries over some songs from the original movie, but many of the songs are created just for the stage show. While an entertaining evening, a more detail-oriented direction of this production would enhance the heart of the story that we all know and love.
The musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has a book by David Greig and Marc Shaiman, along with music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman. It follows the similar plot to the other versions, as Charlie Bucket lives with his single mother, Grandpa Joe, and three other grandparents under one decrepit roof. The Bucket family has less than a dollar to their name on average, yet Charlie possesses a special passion for chocolate and all things sweet. Not only does he enjoy consuming them, he designs confections that surpass any other child’ s possible imagination. This is noticed by candy-seller-in-disguise Willy Wonka, who, through a series of events, invites 5 lucky children to tour his secret chocolate factory when they find a golden ticket. Charlie finds the last golden ticket, and is joined by 4 other eccentric children from around the world in the factory tour. Upon entering the factory, exciting consequences await the children and their families for their desires.
Stefan Espinosa plays the enigmatic Willy Wonka. While Espinosa’s singing voice is impressively silky on the slower songs, the easy charm of Wonka fades during the faster paced numbers. The character of Wonka is complex, with Dahl’s trademark darker facets of all his children’s stories, and the complexity of the script seems to wash over Espinosa without much notice. This is a trend for many of the actors, however, as Hansen Johns’ portrayal of Charlie also misses some of the heavy emotional beats in the script. This lack of direction results in a semi-sympathetic reception of both Charlie and Willy.
In addition to the emotional beats of the show, Director Vanessa Ballam struggles with the comedic pacing and focus of the stage. In a show with such a large ensemble, there is lots of opportunity for comedy. In the performance I attended, there were several moments of actors being funny all at the same time, and I unfortunately felt lost as to which one I was supposed to focus on at any given moment. This direction confusion is also seen with the staging, as emotional moments throughout the entire play would be occurring at the top of the set, all the way upstage. The physical distance from the audience created an emotional distance that never found its remedy.
If the pacing isn’t the strongest in this production, much of the singing is. Johns as Charlie shines during the musical numbers, hitting high notes with ease that belongs to the range of a young boy. For this being Johns’ debut production, I am confident that his emotional range will continue to shine as he is supported more by directors in the future.
Additionally, Grayson Jenkins as Grandpa Joe delivers a charismatic and rich performance, especially during his musical numbers, such as “Charlie, You and I.” The ensemble performers equally round out the auditory aspect of this production, their voices soaring in “Willy Wonka! Willy Wonka!” and “The Oompa Loompa Song.” The most memorable music is definitely the original songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, but the ensemble imbues the new music with energy that endears the audience to the tunes.
Speaking of sound, another stand out is Graydee Noyes as Mike Teavee, specifically in regards to his physical comedy in connection to the sound effects throughout the show. Sound Designer Asher Bettweiser and Noyes work together seamlessly to enhance the spectacular imagination of the chocolate factory. Combined with the lighting design by Bruce Duerden, these effects and Noyes’ performance makes the maze scene in particular highly entertaining. This scene utilizes stylized lighting the most and leaves the audience wishing that more effects would have been used earlier.
Another technical feat is Daniel Simons’ phenomenal set design. Competing with the budget and timeframe of any Wonka movie is a challenge, but Simons rises to that challenge with a set that smartly utilizes many levels and walls to build the colorful world. When entering the chocolate factory, the creative candy designs paired with a rotating rainbow floor transports the audience into this labyrinth of sweetness. Additionally, the purposefully awkwardly-shaped, rickety realism of the Bucket home shows the full range of Simons’ creative ability.
On a different scale, props designer William King strikes gold with several notable props, especially when it comes to the ever-gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde. The backup dancers holding their own pieces of gum stretched out as flexible dancing batons provides a visceral reaction to the grossness of the “Queen of Pop’s” habit. The other props in connection to Violet’s story are so fantastic in relation to the end of her story that they must simply be seen to be believed.
In regards to the setting of the musical, it can be difficult to place the location at any given moment. There is no dialect coach credited in the program, and unfortunately it is felt. The Bucket family lives in England, presumably, however this is only established by the strong cockney accents of Olivia Sundwall as Mrs. Bucket and Lily Parker as the raccoon-toting Mrs. Green. Other actors occasionally attempt a vaguely British accent, often resulting in more distraction and confusion than clarity.
The wonderful exceptions to the accent performances are Mia Packard and Kaito Davis who play Mrs. Gloop and Augustus Gloop, respectively. Packard and Davis bring the humor of the gluttonous Germans to life with thick accents that exemplifies the hard work needed to ensure the accuracy of their performances.
Packard and Davis weren’t the only standouts in this packed production, however. Riley Kyle Thompson and Lizzy Ricks energetically portray the Mr. Beauregarde and Violet Beauregarde, respectively. The dynamic duo portrays the lovingly toxic relationship between father and daughter, supported by Ricks’ impressive vocals during the short song they have to perform. While not onstage for very long, when Violet does meet her inevitable demise, Thompson’s heartbreak for his daughter garners more sympathy than nearly any other moment in the show.
Overall, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Lyric Repertory Company is a fun show that will hopefully grow during the next few weeks of its run. With the opening performance completed, both the emotional and comedic moments will likely find their place even more in front of the audiences that attend. Go find your golden ticket today!
SHOW INFO: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs until July 29th at the Morgan Theater on USU campus, (Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322). Tickets range from $18-$58. To view more information and buy tickets, visit https://www.usu.edu/lyricrep/