I may as well put all of this together here. Once upon a time, there was a Christmas program in a little town in Pennsylvania. Somebody wanted to sing in it, and so he went to the rehearsals. After a couple rehearsals, the director wanted him to sing "We Three Kings" with one verse solo, dressed as a King. So he did. And that got him interested in the theater.
About a month later, there was an announcement for auditions for the play Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at the same theater. This person had heard that there were probably some smaller adult roles that were needed, and he thought that being in a show might be kind of fun, especially if it were a children's show and he didn't have to do too much. And he found that it was a non-musical - no singing or dancing. The play keeps close to the book.
So he climbed the stairs to the audition. He knew about 3 people there - a father that was there with his two daughters, friends of the family. He did offer to be a very large oompa-loompa, but that wasn't what the director had in mind. He read a few parts, and was cast as Grandpa Joe. OK, he thought - Grandpa Joe has a few lines, and hangs around until the end, going through the factory with Charlie. This would be a relatively easy way to see what the theater was like.
Rehearsals started. There was some upheaval in the theater and in the show, including who was going to be the director. Various people moved in and out of other roles. Grandpa Joe kept going.
5 weeks before the performance date, Grandpa Joe got a phone call saying that the latest Willy Wonka they had had to back out of the show for schedular and physical reasons (bad knees and feet). And would the person playing Grandpa Joe be willing to switch to Willy Wonka. He temporarily took leave of his senses and said "Yes."
And that is how I came to play the role of Willy Wonka in the Ligonier Valley Player's production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was quite by accident. But I had the biggest role in the play, and the most lines. And I had to pretend to be somebody completely different than who I am.
Our last week of rehearsals, tech week, was rather interesting. For the first three days, our Mike Teavee was out sick with a fever. At the dress rehearsal, someone fell through the set steps and they had to be repaired (the steps, not the person). We did not do a complete run-through at dress rehearsal.
Performances were Friday night, and Saturday and Sunday matinees. We played to nearly a full house each time. Saturday afternoon was down a little, but we had to bring in extra chairs on Sunday afternoon. The theater manager told me that we set a three day record for candy sales. After the last show, the cast had a pizza party in the empty theater.
The biggest surprise was seeing Mom and Dad on Friday night after the show. They had driven out of their way on the way from their home to Myrtle Beach just to stop in and see the show. They spent the night at a nearby hotel, then came out to see the family the next morning before heading on their way.
After the show, I sent out the following to the cast and crew:
To those involved with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory":
I would like to express my thanks and congratulations to you all. Thanks for making me realize what is possible with a little imagination, a lot of hard work, and the willingness to step out and try something new. And congratulations to you all for a job well done and performances well executed.
Sandy, Francine, and Jen - thanks for your guidance, direction, instruction, and encouragement.
To the Narrator - Toby - I regret that I did not get to actually see your performance (because of where I had to wait), but I saw what you were capable of in rehearsals. You really kicked the show off right.
To the Buckets - Robbie S, Kailin, Dorothy, Jim, Emilie - Great job in what most will perceive to be a small role. It was great to see who got "volunteered" for those roles!
To the Parents and Grandpa Joe - Pat, Jen, Francine, Joe, Jill, and Luba - Great job all around. Especially by some people that only thought their daughters would be in the show (Joe). Pat, thanks for stepping in after my role was changed. You made a much better Grandpa Joe than I would have.
To my "five beloved Golden Ticket holders" - Robbie, Ethan, Kacie, KatiAna, and Zack - I continue to be amazed at the caliber of kids that our valley can turn out. It was a pleasure working with you all. I think that whenever I read the book in the future, or see the movies (either one), I will still think of you all as the true "faces" of Charlie, Mike, Violet, Veruca, and Augustus. I wish I could give all of you a lifetime supply of candy, but the chocolate bars will have to do.
And I can't forget my favorite Wonkettes - Abbey (the best gobstopper-and-gum-passer-ever and my favorite hornswoggler), Alaina, Arianna (a great spy and tree), Becca (all around great Wonkette), Emily, Hayley (best curtain puller, great spy, and I love your optimism), Katie, Kira, Mary (most excellent TV), Rachel (one of several excellent door girls), Ruthie (best TV camera and oompa-loompa grabber, and one of only three people here I knew at the start of rehearsals), Sadye, Shannon, and Sophia (another great spy). I know I'm forgetting all that all of you did, but whatever your part, you did fantastic, and I don't know how the show could have been done without Wonkettes.
And there's also my favorite Oompa-loompas: Amanda, Ellie, Ian and Jason (great dance moves, guys), Jenna, Jonathan (best Oompa-loompa king), Julia, Kaylee, Kate and Lily (Mr. Wonka's official tie-straighteners), Maria, Olivia, Sarah, Skyler, and Shayla (world's friendliest oompa-loompa). Each of you is something special and brought your own spark to the show. I couldn't see you do the poems, but I could hear it and it sounded great! I hope you enjoyed the Fun Dips.
And to all the other helpers - mothers and others - thanks. Yes, even to Sonia for applying some rather distinctive eyebrows.
I've never had to learn to remember so much in so little time - and it wasn't just the lines. It was where to move, how to stand, how to move, how to talk, what to do, what not to do, etc. etc. You all made it a little easier, and a lot funner (which maybe isn't a word, but it will do). Quite frankly, I had a blast.
And then there's this video, put together from various rehearsal shots.
