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Peer Reviews
Willy Wonka
A review by Kevin Temple
Entire contents copyright © 2008
Kevin Temple. All rights reserved.
I quickly learned, while approaching the amphitheater,
that the name of the producing group was not entirely
known to some of the patrons or workers. Was it
Music Theatre Louisville? Was it the Iroquois Amphitheater?
Well, come to find out it is now Broadway at Iroquois.
Since I now knew where I was, I was able to
get down to business, and that business is chocolate.
The show started off with a bit of a sound
problem. Now, not knowing whether it was my ears
or the sound system, I found myself concentrating
a little hard on trying to understand what was
being said from time to time throughout parts
of the first act. Perhaps the rain and open air
had created some play in the acoustics, but it
seemed that everything evened out by the start
of the second act. The opening speech was quite
garbled.
Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka is a splendid
tale of a huge chocolate factory and the chance
of commoners getting an opportunity to tour the
facility. The commoners are able to
tour the facility only if they were able to acquire
one of the five special golden tickets that were
placed in random chocolate bars across the world.
We follow the life of a charismatic young man,
Charlie Bucket, who despite the financial level
of his family, has made it possible to always think
positive. Charlie, played by Connor Holloway,
did an amazing job showing how difficult it is
to stay positive when all the "other" kids
seem to have everything and can afford
the luxuries of daily newspapers and chocolate.
His parents, played by Greg Wood and Michelle Lori,
show great support and defense towards keeping
Charlie's spirits up when it seems all too difficult
to be a kid in the city. The bedridden grandparents
of Charlie give great laughs and support towards
the young man's dreams.
The other golden tickets are acquired by some very
interesting children from across the world. We
meet Augustus Gloop and his mother, played by Trey
Paris and Kristy Calman. We meet Veruca Salt and
her father, played by Olivia Duff and Andy Epstein.
Then there are Violet Beauregard and her mother,
played by Audrey Adams and Glenna Godsey, and Mike
Teavee and his mother, played by Douglas "D.J." Kelly
and Candace Kresse. The audience is given a chance
to live vicariously through these families as they
get the chance of a lifetime. We watch each character
unfold his or her true vices as temptation is brought
before them by some of the most enticing objects:
candy. Speaking of candy, Ernie Adams sweetens
the scene with a wonderful performance as the candy-cart-toting
candyman.
Of course, Willy Wonka would not be complete
without the arrival of some of the greatest teachers
around, the Oompa-Loompas. Why do I call them teachers,
you may ask? If you're not familiar
with the classic movie, it's because the Oompa
Loompas offer some wonderful advice for both young
and old.
Charlie, who finds the fifth golden ticket, is
able to take one person with him into the chocolate
factory. He chooses his wonderful Grandpa Joe,
played by Eddie Lewis, who brought a realness to
the stage as he supported Charlie's dreams and
toured the factory with Mr. Wonka. Speaking of
Mr. Willy Wonka, Brian Bowman delivered a fantastic
performance as the chocolate creator/dreamer, luring
you into the chocolate fantasy with a great voice
and wonderful facial expressions that could be
seen even from the back of the amphitheater.
Craig Swatt conducts a fantastic orchestra that
brings the music of the show to life, and I couldn't
help but whistle along to several of the wonderful
melodies.
The show is a wonderful tribute to the world of
pure imagination. The colors of the sets and the
costumes are great, and I'm sure
Jim Hesselman is smiling
from having brought such a great show to the stage.
As Willy Wonka says, "Come with me.....
And you'll be...... In a world of pure imagination." If
you have any type of imagination, please allow
yourself to go see Broadway at Iroquois' rendition
of Roald Dahl's Willy
Wonka.
Willy Wonka
Broadway at Iroquois
June 13 - June 22, 2008
502-589-4060
www.broadwayatiroquois.org
Posted June 15, 2008
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