It's Candy, Man!

This past weekend, my husband and I went to see the touring production of the musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Each of us came with a different perspective: I'd never watched the beloved Gene Wilder film (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) all the way through as a kid (and coming to it late made me like it far less), where he had. But both of us quite enjoyed this adaptation.

The musical -- from David Grieg, Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman -- has a delicate line to walk. It's trying to please the people who loved the movie, and does so primarily by including all its famous songs ("Candy Man," "I've Got a Golden Ticket," "Pure Imagination," "The Oompa Loompa Song"). But it also wants to do its own thing, and does so not only with many new songs, but by telling a more dark and sinister version of the story (which I understand is more in keeping with Roald Dahl's original writing).

The structure of the story fits pretty naturally into that of a Broadway musical. Act One covers Charlie's home life and culminates in him finding the ticket to tour the Wonka factory. Act Two covers everything that happens inside. Not only is it a clean split, it has the effect of producing the rare Broadway musical with a second act that's better than the first.

Act One does have its moments. It's where the vast majority of Charlie's material is presented. He's played at various performances by four different child actors, and the one we got at our performance was great. Upbeat and energetic, he's exactly what was needed to play to a huge theater like the Buell. There was also fun comedy from Charlie's family; Grandpa Joe's really the only one to get a personality in the movie, but on stage, the other three each got their particular slice of humor. (Fatalist Grandpa George was a highlight for me.)

The introductions of the other four contest winners are the big moments of the first act, though. These "kids" are all played by adult actors, and each is giving their own quintessential "show-stopping number" in their own distinct musical style. There's an elaborate oom-pah number with a full chorus line of dancers for Augustus Gloop. Veruca Salt is a Russian ballerina who dances on point with her father as he sings. Bubble-gum-loving Violet Beauregarde declares in a brash R&B anthem that she's the "Queen of Pop." And hyperactive Mike Teavee bounces around with gymnastic flips that barely fit on the stage.

But it's Act Two everyone's really here to see. Getting out from under the specter of Gene Wilder is a tall order (and on the night we saw, the show's understudy was taking the stage as Willy Wonka), but the musical helps by adding lots of other spectacle. A puppet-esque approach to the Oompa Loompas works wonderfully, a ballet number with dancers costumed as squirrels is delightfully weird, elaborate set pieces built on principles of stage magic are used in the Mike Teavee sequence, and more. They know you're coming to this musical wondering "how are they going to do this?", and then make a meal out of doing that.

There are a few shortcomings. While the staging is great, none of the new numbers really take up residence inside your brain like the toe-tapping originals from the movie. I still hate Grandpa Joe (though less than in the movie; the scene where he nearly gets them kicked out of the factory is cut from the play). But overall, it makes for a fun and enjoyable night at the theater.

Whether you're a fan of the classic movie or not, I think you'll find something to like in this stage version. I give it a B+. It's playing in Denver for the rest of this week before moving along to its next city. Check it out if you have the chance!