CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Musical in 2 Acts. Music Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman; Lyrics Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman; Book David Greig Based on the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl Productions 2013 West End - Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London - 25 June, 2013 SYNOPSIS Roald Dahl's deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka. When Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it's the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he's always dreamed of. But beyond the gates astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors, and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems. STORY ACT I The musical opens with Charlie Bucket searching for valuables in a dump near his home. As he picks up candy wrappers, he speaks with a mysterious tramp, and heads home to his family (“Almost Nearly Perfect”). His home is a one-room shack under a railway arch. As he and his grandparents wait for their cabbage soup to boil, they tell Charlie about Willy Wonka (“The Amazing Tale of Mr. Willy Wonka”). After Charlie’s father returns home dispirited from lack of work, Charlie’s mother tries to lift his spirits. The parents express their gratitude for Charlie and the things they do have (“If Your Mother Were Here”). Later, Charlie pens a letter about what he’d invented for his family to Wonka, folds it into a paper airplane, and sends it flying out into the night (“A Letter from Charlie Bucket”). The next morning, Mrs. Bucket returns home from her night job and explains to the family that Willy Wonka is holding a competition where five lucky contestants will find a Golden Ticket in their Wonka Bars, granting them a tour of his factory and the chance to win a lifetime’s supply of candy. Charlie is desperate to win one, but he has no money. On their homemade TV, they hear of the first Golden Ticket winner, an obese Bavarian boy named Augustus Gloop (“More of Him to Love”). They soon learn that another ticket has been found by a spoiled British girl named Veruca Salt. Mr. Salt, Veruca’s father, recounts how he won the ticket for his daughter (“When Veruca Says”). Charlie’s birthday arrives, and his grandparents give him a Wonka Bar, but are disappointed when there is no Golden Ticket. As he eats, they hear of the discovery of the third Golden Ticket in Hollywood by wannabe gum-chewing celebrity, Violet Beauregarde. She and her father brag about how they will now be even more famous because of the Golden Ticket and how Violet is going to be the “biggest” diva ever (“The Double Bubble Duchess”). Shortly after, the TV announces another Golden Ticket discovery, Mike Teavee and the Teavee family. Mike is a violent and obnoxious bully who is addicted to television and video games, and whose frantic mother spoils him rotten and explains his hazardous activities and how he used Wonka’s password to get his Golden Ticket (“It’s Teavee Time”). With all but one ticket gone and no money to buy a bar, Charlie is desolate. His parents sing about how they wish they could raise their son together and about how they hope for a better life (“If Your Mother Were Here”). Winter comes, and one day Charlie finds some money dropped by a rich couple. Encouraged by the mysterious tramp, he buys a Wonka Bar, and finds a Golden Ticket inside that prompts Grandpa Joe to get out of bed and walk for the first time in forty years (“Don’t Ya Pinch Me, Charlie”). On the day they are to enter the factory, Charlie and Grandpa Joe feel out of place amidst all the hoopla on the red carpet. Finally, the moment of truth arrives. With a choral fanfare, the factory door swings open and all eyes to turn to see the mysterious Willy Wonka, invites the Golden Ticket winners into his factory to see all the wonders (“It
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