Published: Nov. 17, 2016
West Bend students take on ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
Tonya Fordham, West Bend High Schools drama director, has wanted to
stage the play “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” for three years.
Copyright licensing rights prevented it.
Then, she finally got the good news: She got the goahead to do the play.
Then, Gene Wilder died.
Wilder played the famous role of Willy Wonka in the movie, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
Suddenly, there was a new purpose to stage the production for Fordham and the West Bend High School/Middle School Drama Club.
The show opens at 7 p.m. today at the Silver Lining Arts Center at the
West Bend high schools. There is also a show at 7 p.m. Friday and two
shows Saturday — 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults, and $6
for students and senior citizens.
“There has been a lot of excitement for this show,” Fordham. “We were
trying to get the licensing rights for about three years, but it was
bogged down in red tape because of another production company in
London who was going to use it. So they weren’t releasing the rights to
do the show.”
The story is based on the 1964 children’s book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” by Roald Dahl.
It focuses on Charlie Bucket, a boy who is kindhearted and selfless,
but ridden in poverty, living with his mother, father and four
bedridden grandparents. Then, he is the lucky bearer of a golden ticket
that gives him and four other children an opportunity to tour a chocolate factory.
Fordham said she can’t remember how many times she’s seen the movie,
but always remembers the feeling it gives her: a tale that rewards
humility.
In 1971, the story hit the big screen, starring Wilder as Willy Wonka — “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
In 1972, the film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best
Original Score, and Wilder was nominated for a Golden Glob for Best
Actor in a Musical or Comedy.
It was remade as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp and directed by Tim Burton, in 2005.
Fordham was impressed her students knew the original tale, not the one from 2005.
“A huge majority of them appreciate the original more than the remake,” Fordham said.
Miciah Wallace, a freshman at West, is cast as the title character — Charlie.
It is Wallace’s fourth show, but first in high school. In middle
school, he did three productions, including “The Little Mermaid,”
“Little Princess” and “Treasure Island.”
He got into performing after walking past a room one day in middle
school and seeing his friend auditioning for a play. He was intrigued
and auditioned the next day.
“I like being a different character and I enjoy meeting new people,” Wallace said.
East junior Nick Theisen is cast as Willy Wonka. He said it is an honor to play the part, especially this year.
Wilder died Aug. 29 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 83. That
was only weeks after Fordham and the club learned they got the OK to
stage the play.
The club has since viewed the production as an opportunity to tell a classic tale, but also pay tribute to Wilder.
On the club’s poster promoting the show, there is a message that
reads, “In Honor of the Late Great Gene Wilder!” There is also a tribute
to Wilder.
“He’s a very interesting character,” Theisen said of Willy Wonka. “It definitely meant a lot to me (to be cast the part).”
Wilder being from Milwaukee added another factor as to the importance of putting on the play.
“It means a great deal to not just me, but the whole cast,” Theisen said. “We have to pull this off.”
While exciting to put on a production that’s embedded deep in
entertainment history, it’s also nervewracking. Many know the tale, so
a bobble with a line, for example, won’t be hard to miss. And there is
the added pressure with paying tribute to Wilder.
“I know it sounds crazy but I think he’s looking down on us,” Theisen said.
In a bit of irony, this is not the first time Fordham and the club
have picked a production and someone connected to the story died.
Last year, the club performed the 1947 film, “Miracle on 34th Street.” The movie’s lead actress, Maureen O’Hara, died Oct. 24, 2015, the week the club put on the show.
“When that happens, we always feel a stronger sense of responsibility
to honor the original portrayer of the role,” Fordham said. “We try to
recreate that same awe, that same wonder, the same feelings the
original actor did.”
The club pledges this production is a show not to be missed.
“This was one piece in over 20 shows I’ve done that I really, really,
really wanted to ... get a lot of inspiration from the original film,”
Fordham said. “It was such a classic, a timeless classic.”
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