August 12, 2004

Oompa Loompas steal the show

by ELLIN BELTZ

THE FERNDALE REPERTORY THEATRE STRIKES holiday gold with its musical The World of Willie Wonka, adapted by director Vikki Young from the late Roald Dahl's well-known children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which also inspired the 1971 Gene Wilder movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Narrator (Kelsey Wortman) and two newspaper criers (Louis Sterback and Maya Schubert) rapidly advance the story, preventing the sort of long speeches which bogged down the film. Photo of the cast of The World of Willy Wonka play

Charlie Bucket (charming and natural Jared Basquez), a poor boy who lives down the street from the factory, stares through the locked gates and dreams of chocolate. He yearns to win one of five Golden Tickets to enter the Wonka factory. Predictably, he wins the last one and can take his Grandpa Joe (played to perfection by veteran actor Bob Clark) with him on the tour.

[LEFT TO RIGHT: GRANDPA JOE (BOB CLARK), CHARLIE BUCKET (JARED BASQUEZ), AUGUSTUS GLOOP (LUCAS WENNERHOLM), MIKE TEAVEE (KYLE AMBROSINI), VERUCA SALT (DERBY MCLAUGHLIN) AND WILLIE WONKA (TURNER BAZEN). PHOTO COURTESY DAN TUBBS]

Grandpa tells Charlie that Willie Wonka (Turner Bazen), a reclusive capitalist, runs the World's Biggest Candy Factory, but no one knows how. Tired of having his secret recipes stolen, one day he fired every worker and adopted the motto "Nobody ever goes in, nobody ever comes out."

When the Candy Man finally appears and the gates of the factory swing open, the audience can barely wait for the four horrible children to meet their individual desserts. Greedy boy Augustus Gloop (Lucas Wennerholm), spoiled rich brat Veruca Salt (Derby McLaughlin), gum popping Violet Beauregarde (Rebecca Davis) and television-addicted Mike Teavee (Kyle Ambrosini) are interviewed by a marvelously expressive Radio Announcer (Samantha McLaughlin), revealing much of their flawed characters, which Wonka later exploits to their peril.

Like many morality plays, people either love this story or hate it. Mis-Wonka-nists point out that the 1964 book described the Oompa Loompas as being pygmies from the "very deepest and darkest part of the African jungle where no white man had been before." But by the time the movie was made in 1971, revisionists tried to save the rest of the tale by making the Oompa Loompas into a group of orange-skinned refugees from some mysterious Balkan conflict.

Regardless of previous incarnations, the FRT's Oompa Loompas completely steal this show. The songs which seem so fatuous in the movie are actually relevant when 14 children (Trevor Ambrosini, Haylee Duey, Rebecca Forcier, Faith Maciel, Selena Reveles, Kassie Rosell, Maya Schubert, Louis Sterback, Elizabeth Tsarnas, Rebecca Thompson, Timothy Ward, Marisa Wright, Selena Ybarra and Brittany Ybarra) sing of the ghastly fates that consumed the greedy, selfish, spoiled and satiated winners of the first four Golden Tickets in rhymed couplets. While they dance and sing, the stage light sparkles off their radioactive green hair and post-gothic factory attire.

Director Young deserves a great deal of credit for this adaptation, as do the designers and assistants who built the incredible set, developed the psychedelic light shows and run a backstage full of 14 tiny Oompa Loompas with entrances from both ends of the house. Particularly noteworthy are: top notch set designer Daniel Lawrence, set painter Lisa Samuels-Ybarra, trompe d'oile scene artists Bruce and Lois Keller, exquisite costumers Denise Ryles and Rosemary Smith, light designer Jesse Talbert, techs and crew Kelsey Wortman, Melanie Parker, Kelly Hughes, Holly McLaughlin and accompanist Justin Ross.

Even though the Rep is the biggest playhouse on the North Coast, don't assume they'll have a ticket for you for this show at the last second. Opening night was sold out, and from audience comments, the word-of-mouth on this show is going to be huge. Buy your reserved seat ticket and then just show up at 7:50, buy a Wonka bar and settle in for a lovely short family musical that you'll be thinking about for several days to come.

Ferndale Repertory Theatre's charming holiday production, The World of Willie Wonka, continues Thursdays through Sundays until Dec. 19. Call 786-LIVE for tickets and more information.

ELSEWHERE:

Dell'Arte's 23rd annual holiday show offers a Dell'Artian take on a classic children's story. Three Pigs: A Comic Tail with a Twist with shows at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, at Fortuna River Lodge, Dec. 10 at McKinleyville High School, and Dec. 12 at the Adorni Center in Eureka. Donations of nonperishable food items will be given to local food banks. Tickets can be picked up at Wildberries Marketplace and Coast Central Credit Union, who, along with Target Corporation, underwrite the free performances.

Paid performances of Three Pigs at the Carlo in Blue Lake open at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday, Dec., 16 through Sunday, Dec. 19. Call Dell'Arte for reservations at 668-5663.

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