No lengthy search needed for a ticket into a world of pure imagination.
The Children’s Theatre of Elgin presents “Willy Wonka Jr.” Nov. 18-20 at Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 20.
Based on the classic 1964 Roald Dahl book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the stage musical follows Charlie Bucket’s adventures inside the famed Wonka Chocolate Factory. Owned by eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka, the factory tour is open to only the five lucky children (and their guardians) who find an elusive golden ticket.
“I think that people who have seen the movies have sort of an expectation. The last one that came out with Johnny Depp is kind of a weird movie,” producer Bob Krabbe said. ” Our show is really meant to be more in line with the wacky Gene Wilder version. It’s really just a fun show.”
Audience members will recognize familiar songs from the movie, including “Pure Imagination,” “Candy Man,” “(I’ve Got a) Golden Ticket” and “Cheer Up, Charlie.” And, of course, there’s the catchy “Oompa-Loompa” song.
“It’s a production you can bring anybody to, from infant to 100 years old, and everybody is going to find something entertaining in it,” Krabbe said.
A big part of the appeal, he said, is the timeless characters in the story, including the ill-behaved children that join hero Charlie on the tour.
“You know what’s going to happen, and you’re kind of rooting for that to happen. So it’s entertaining for our young actors to be able to be kids that the audience is really rooting for them to disappear from stage,” Krabbe said. “In a fun, funny sort of way.”
As each character meets their fate, out come the factory worker Oompa-Loompas to usher them away, he said.
The cast of 84 — which includes lots of Oompa-Loompas — features children ages 2 through 9 from throughout the Elgin and surrounding area. For some cast members, it is their first show. Others have been in multiple Children’s Theatre of Elgin productions.
“We have a wonderful cast,” said Krabbe, who lives in Hoffman Estates. “It’s really a nice mix of new and experienced kids.”
All of them are learning about the theater arts, he said, through their participation in shows at CTE and its affiliate program for older students, Fox Valley Theatre Company.
“Part of what makes CTE exciting is that it is also an educational experience. We want the kids to get used to having to come to rehearsal. Even if you’re not one of the main characters, you still have to be on the stage at the right time and singing the right words,” Krabbe said. “So it’s all of those experiences. And these are really the kids that are the future of both companies. So it’s exciting to have that many kids.”
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It is former members of both companies that are leading the production staff, Krabbe said. As a child, Director Allison Cherry portrayed an Oompa-Loompa in a CTE production.
“It’s exciting for her to come back and be directing this production and putting her vision on this timeless story,” Krabbe said.
All three artistic directors with the company — Cherry is education director, her brother, Chris Cherry, is music director and Andy Bero is drama director — are CTE alumni, he said.
“So they all come back to support the company,” Krabbe said.
With the company celebrating its 30th anniversary, the next generation is learning the craft.
Along with the production staff, parent volunteers help tackle the challenge of making the magic of Wonka’s factory come alive on stage and on budget.
“How do we make magic on a budget? We’ve got really creative people,” Krabbe said. “It’s Allison’s vision for the production, and it’s really a matter of finding the way to make the magic happen.
“It’s especially a challenge when people are used to the movies, because of course they’ve got huge budgets. But I think we achieve some of that magic. And we have to be creative with how we achieve that,” he said. “People will be excited about the magic that they’ve created.”
That includes depicting what happens to each of the disobedient children on the factory tour. In the case of spoiled Veruca Salt, it means being declared a “bad egg.”
It was the role of Veruca who everybody wanted to read for during auditions, Krabbe said, “because she’s the brattiest of the brats.
“You get to get into mischief,” he said of the children who win the factory tour. “But there’s consequences to the mischief. It’s kind of a good message.”
Helping to make that message clear in a fun way is the gang of Oompa-Loompas.
“They’re sort of the cautionary voice of the production. That if you’re not good, this is what happens to you,” Krabbe said. “They’re thoroughly entertaining. And they just keep popping in to clean up the messes that are created by our band of brats.”
Krabbe said it’s not surprising so many of the students auditioning for the show wanted to portray the characters that behave badly.
“Who wouldn’t want to be a brat in the middle of a magical candy factory? Everywhere you look, it’s candy. I think that’s one of the reasons kids find the story so enduring,” he said.
“How fun would that be to just be let loose in a candy factory? I’m sure parents are thinking it sounds like more dentist bills. But to a kid, what could be better than that?” he said. “There’s a lesson there, but it’s all sort of sugarcoated, literally. How fun is that?”
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Courier News.
‘Willy Wonka Jr.’
When: Nov. 18-20
Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $12 adult, $10 students and seniors
Information: 847-214-7550 or www.cteelgin.com