GMS Performs Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory!

On Thursday, our family attended the musical, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, performed by the students at Glenvar Middle School.  We specifically went to support our two sweet friends Cami Shaffer and Taylor Schoonover. The kids had been anticipating this play not only because they love Cami and Taylor, but also because they LOVE the movie.  We have BOTH the original and the remade version.  The play was directed by Terry Haynie and choreographed by Jessie Allen.  It was truly a fantastic theatrical experience, for such a young group of children.

Willy Wonka, played by Logan Bohon

She also played the role of the "Candy Man"

Third one in from the left is our sweet friend, Taylor Schoonover, as a Candy Man Kid.  

You can see the beginning stages of Charlie, played by Matthew Smith, behind the Candy Man.  

The first golden ticket winner, Augustus Gloop, played by Julia Jacobs. is the first person to find a Golden Ticket. He hails from Dusselheim, Germany in the 1971 film, and Düsseldorf, Germany in the 2005 film. His mother takes great pride in his gluttonous eating and seems to enjoy the attention of the media. In the novel and both films, he is portrayed as "enormously fat". Augustus is the first child to be removed from the tour: While drinking from the Chocolate Room’s chocolate river, he falls into the river and is drawn through a pipe to the factory's Fudge Room, and his parents are sent to fetch him from the mixing-machine. In the book, he is seen leaving the factory, having lost most of his weight, and covered in melted chocolate.

Veruca Salt, played by Cami Shaffer.  Veruca Saltis a girl who demands every single thing she wants: the second person to find a Golden Ticket, and the third to leave the tour. A selfish, rotten brat who shows her family no mercy and has absolutely no regard for other people's property, Veruca frequently bullies her parents to purchase a variety of different objects for her; but when she interferes with the trained squirrels used by Willy Wonka to select the best nuts to bake into chocolate bars, she is judged as a "bad nut" by the squirrels, she is discarded into the adjacent 'garbage chute', and her parents follow. 

Cami did a little too good.  It scares me to think that without knowing Jesus, she is capable of acting that way, probably not though.  I've never seen an ugly side to her. LOL!

All of these photos seem awful, but Veruka is a real brat in the movie and she kept rolling her eyes and really living out the part, so I could rarely get a smile from her. I'd say Cami has a NEW hobby to start looking into.  She is a PRO at acting.  

Violet Beauregarde, played by Cecelia Freticelli. Violet is girl who chews gum all the time, is the third child to find a Golden Ticket and the second to be ejected from the tour. Violet chews gum obsessively and boasts that she has been chewing the same piece "for three months solid". She is also aggressively competitive and has won trophies for gum chewing. 

I apologize.  I realize now, I failed to capture the fourth ticket winner, Mike Teavee, played by Jessica Harrah.

Charlie Bucket, played by Matthew Smith.  He is depicted as a kind-hearted, brave, and selfless but poor boy that lives with his mother, father, and four bedridden grandparents. In the 1971 film adaptation, he has a newspaper route after school. He and his family follow the progress of the hunt for the Golden Tickets in newspapers and, in the films, on television. Unlike the first four finalists, Charlie is honest and generous. Charlie was the last and final ticket winner.

At the end of the tour, Wonka declares Charlie heir to the factory for his refusal of vice, and Charlie's family are permitted to move into the factory. In the 1971 film, Charlie wins the factory when he returns an Everlasting Gobstopper given to him by Wonka, thereby passing Wonka's moral test. In the 2005 film, Wonka initially refuses to allow Charlie's family to join them in the factory, and Charlie rejects Wonka's offer. When Charlie helps Wonka reconcile with his father, the family move into the factory and Charlie becomes Wonka's partner. In the play, Charlie just accepted his reward, graciously and the play ended.  :)

Willy Wonka begins to greet the five ticket winners. 

On a boat, in the chocolate stream. Things start to get a little bit creepy. Haha.

Violet, upon swelling, in the influence of the experimental gum, she panics and runs away.

Taylor Schoonover, as an Oompa Loompa.  She did so good.  Lilah got a chuckle when her wig fell off on stage.  She didn't seem nervous at all.  Very natural actress. 

Oompa Loompas are knee-high beings who originate from Loompaland. The Oompa-Loompas would end up being preyed upon or attacked by the various predators that also reside in Loompaland before Wonka invited them to work at his factory and are paid in their favorite food, cocoa beans, which were extremely rare on their island. The Oompa-Loompas are also mischievous, loving practical jokes and singing, the latter which they very good at improvising, according to Wonka. As seen in each bad child's exit, the Oompa-Loompas sing moralizing songs of the child's folly.

Charlie with his grandpa in the "Burping Song."

The grand finale!

I didn't use a flash during the play, so the photos aren't the greatest quality, but I think they still turned out great.

Cami takes a bow!

After the play, we made sure to find Cami and Taylor and give big hugs.

Lilah couldn't wait to be in a photo with Cami.  

Cami with her proud daddy!

The above photo actually looked like the one below.  LOL!  

These two photos were taken with my iPhone aka poor quality.

Lilah greeted Cami with a few gifts from our family.

We also brought her a giant candy container of Sweet Tarts.  It seemed the most appropriate gift for a play all about candy! I found these LARGE candy containers at FIVE BELOW!

I felt terrible once I learned that Taylor was also in the play and we didn't have anything for her. So sorry Taylor!

If you weren't at the play, then enjoy a few video clips, below, from the play itself! They are in NO particular order.