The cast of Willy Wonka Jr. is preparing to unwrap a golden musical theatre performance this week starting Thursday (Dec. 6). And on Tuesday (Nov. 27), they offered elementary schools a sneak peek.
In Teira Andreeff's first directing effort for 樱桃视频Youth Theatre, the 18-year-old said she is confident her young actors will fit the bill in assuming the eccentric personas from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. "A couple of them really stood out, like Emily [Eymundson] who's playing Violet," said Andreeff, referring to the relentless gum chewer who finds one of Wonka's prized golden tickets. "As soon as she started speaking I thought 'that's my Violet' all of a sudden she starts chewing her gum and she's got the eyes and the face and her whole body moving and I was like 'whoa,' she just blew me away."
Audiences will have a variety of Willy Wonkas to chose from. No two chocolate factories will be quite the same because each performance will feature one of three different actors: Jared Nash, Daniel Watson or Tristan Finck. Each one wears the top hat and cane with his own zeal, said Andreeff.
"Daniel's got the Johnny Depp to him, he's got that dark humour and then you've got Jared Nash who plays the classic Gene Wilder version of it. And then there's Tristan, everything he does he just opens up his body. Usually with Wonka I wouldn't use it but he plays it so interesting I don't want to touch it."
Nash, a Grade 12 student at Howe Sound Secondary School, is a newcomer to musical theatre but he's taking vocal lessons from local opera singer Kelly Coubrough with the hope of someday singing under the lights of Broadway.
"I like to play Wonka a little calm sometimes but I also like to do it a little creepy, a little bit like the new movie with Depp's character," he said. David Thomson was all smiles at 樱桃视频Elementary School where he rehearsed the role of protagonist Charlie Bucket. After acting in a number of adult productions in Squamish, Thomson is more comfortable surrounded by a younger cast, he said. He's also happy he's not playing the 'bad guy' for once.
"This is actually my first main role doing these adult shows I'm usually on a few times singing and just trying to look cute," he laughed. "And this is one of the first times I've actually been someone good. It kind of fits my size."Andreeff said Thomson was another one of the actors she knew immediately would fit an important role.
"I knew he'd be my Charlie Bucket from the moment he walked in," she said. "He's got a pure innocence about him and that's Charlie Bucket."
Performances run at the Eagle Eye Theatre Dec. 6, 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday matinees are Dec. 8 and 15 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, available at Billie's Bouquet.
Jared Nash will perform as Willy Wonka on the first Saturday evening and the second Saturday matinee. Tristan Finck will assume the role both Fridays and Daniel Watson will take over for every other performance.
