Jenna Downs, left plays Charlie Bucket and
Bryan Buzzbee plays Wonka. Courtesy photo.
A waterfall made of rich chocolate fudge runs into a huge stream lined with candy cane trees, gumdrops and taffy as far as the eye can see. It’s a world of Willy Wonka’s creation — and pure imagination.
Southeast Texas Stages presents “Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” through May 25. The play centers around the titular factory, known for its delicious sweets and reclusive owner. However, there’s a surge of Wonka bars sweeping the nation as the factory will soon open its doors once again to six lucky winners who find a golden ticket in their chocolate wrappers.
Charlie Bucket (Jenna Downs), lives in poverty with her mother and grandparents, but maintains a positive and ambitious mindset through her Grandpa Joe. (TJ Scott). Through hearing Grandpa Joe’s stories of his time at the factory as a security guard, she dreams of touring the factory someday. And with the golden ticket craze, the chance of a lifetime arrives for the Bucket family.
Charlie and Joe are joined by a cast of children with various quirks and colorful personalities. Augustus Gloop (Parker Melancon) is gluttonous, Veruca Salt (Emma Brown) is spoiled rotten by her billionaire father, Violet Beauregard (Emma Tomov) is obsessed with chewing gum for media attention and Mike Teevee (Chase Mason) can’t take his eyes off his screens. Through the different trials Willy Wonka (Bryan Buzbee) throws at the children, valuable life lessons are learned and sung through the Oompa Loomba ensemble.
Downs’ Charlie is incredibly talented with a great singing voice to match. She encompasses the spirit of Roald Dahl’s character wonderfully. The additional child cast has a fun and contagious energy that gets the audience laughing up a storm.
Buzbee’s Wonka steals the show. His portrayal is a combination of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, and adds the comedic charm from the books and films people love.
The original score, composed by Marc Shaiman and written by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, is whimsical and catchy. The songs “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” and “Pure Imagination” are classic gems, with “The View From Here” being a sentimental and lovely underrated tune.
Director Dexter Broussard ties it all together, creating a fantastic show to wrap up Southeast Texas Stages 2024-25 season. It is a must-see for the whole family.
“Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” continues May 15, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. with additional matinees May 17 at 2 p.m. and May 25 at 3 p.m. May 15 is “Pay What You Can” admission. For tickets, visit setxs.org.
