Willy Wonka production is a spectacle to behold

Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka may be the most ambitious production brought to the Algonquin Theatre stage by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and the Rotary Club of Huntsville yet.

Breathing life into the words of Roald Dahl, beloved children’s author and master of nonsense, requires extreme imagination and this production delivers.

The talent of the multi-aged cast – from young children to seniors (see the full cast list at the bottom of this page) – and their sometimes fantastical costumes brings the characters to life on stage. To create what is often a surreal background for those characters is the job of the set design team, who work for months behind the scenes to construct a believable world for them to move in. For a script that has scenes both around the globe and in a sprawling candy factory, it’s a challenging task but the set design team has gone above and beyond.

“I wanted to get as close as possible to (director Sarah Vanasse’s) vision,” says the show’s set designer, Janet Copland, who began designing sets four-and-a-half years ago after retiring from teaching. She quickly discovered that one of the easiest ways to convey set design to both the build team and the cast is to create 3D models. It worked particularly well for this production because of its complexity.

“It’s much easier to see what’s going on in my head and makes everyone’s life easier,” says Copland. “I showed (the set builders) the model and let them decide what they’d like to do. It’s been a big team effort. We got it all done and then had fun of getting it into the theatre. These things are 12 feet high.”

Gallery above: The locations of the first four golden ticket winners from around the globe are just four of the many backdrops appearing in the Rotary/HFA production of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka. (Photos are from the production’s dress rehearsal.)

Set construction began before Christmas – earlier than usual for the annual musical because of the volume of work needed. Rotary’s Ross Kirwin, Doug Fairhall, Peter Redwood, Sandy McKay and Rob Saunders were instrumental in building the sets, said Copland, as were set painters Steve Richards, Raissa Quine-Fuller, Sonny Allinson, Jim Miller, and Greg Perras. “People have been so generous with their time,” said Copland.

Copland designed the 12-foot high sets to flat-pack so that they could be stored easily and leave room to continue building more in the warehouse space donated for use by Steve Campbell and Noreen Mitchell.

The stage design includes clever use of collapsible towering gates, revolving rooms manipulated by the Oompa Loompas, projection screens and black light to transport the audience to different locales and impart a sense of wonder.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, here’s an overview:
Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka follows enigmatic candy manufacturer, Willy Wonka, as he stages a contest by hiding golden tickets in five of his scrumptious candy bars. Whomever 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 person 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. Filled with awe and wonder, Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka will take audiences of all ages on a fantasy ride into the land of pure imagination!

Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka runs March 31, April 1, April 2 (matinee), April 7, April 8 and April 9 (matinee). Tickets are selling fast. Get yours at the Algonquin Theatre box office or online here.

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Cast:

Mike Pearse, Willy Wonka
Lexi Evans, Charlie Bucket
Rich Trenholm, Mr. Buckett
JoAnn Bennett, Mrs. Buckett
David Walton, Grandpa Joe
Carol Gibson, Grandma Josephine
Tom Murphy, Grandpa George
Judy Evans, Grandma Georgina
Luke Murphy, Augustus Gloop
Jennifer Simpson, Mrs. Gloop
Millie Cassie-Batchelor, Veruca Salt
Bob McDermott, Mr. Salt
Grace Murphy, Violet Beauregarde
Elizabeth Celentano, Mrs. Beauregarde
Shawn Marks, Mike Teavee
Kirsty Koop, Ms Teavee
Greg Perras, Candy Man
Frank Berg, Phineous Trout
Oompa Loompas: Carly Acton, Isabelle Lefebre, Josiah Murphy, Keely Reid, Josie Robinson, Madison Searle, Harper Smith, Sydney Taylor, Wilson Trenholm
Squirrels: Emma Cole, Caitlin Farley, Cate Gottlieb, Skylar Gottlieb, Sophie Mann, Kelseigh Petterson, Lauchlyn Trenholm, Abbey Wood, Marley Young
Townsperson: Isabel Berg, Meeda Berg, Sylvie Berg, Gabby Farr, Mike Koop, Sharon Marks, Olivia Morrison, Max Hill (also Cameraman)