Sweet success: Paramount serves up memorable 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” — ★ ★ ★ ½
Several adjectives come to mind when describing Paramount Theatre's regional premiere of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Dazzling is one. Delicious, a reference to the gleefully outsize performances as well as the candy-coated visuals, is another.
But unforgettable may be the word that best describes this musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's tale, which celebrates imagination, generosity and kindness while criticizing consumerism, tech-obsession, overly indulgent parents and their grasping children.
Visually, Paramount's production is remarkable, with Jeffrey D. Kmiec's lavish sets dominated by bizarre machinery, Paul Deziel's ingenious, kaleidoscopic projections and Ryan Park's vibrant costumes making for quite a spectacle. But more than pageantry animates this production, which boasts director Trent Stork's polished ensemble and music director/conductor Kory Danielson's crisp 17-person orchestra. The combination makes for an impressive theatrical experience.
Consider the orchestra, which is twice the size of most Chicago-area pit orchestras. It was a few measures into the overture when my companion turned to me, wide-eyed and mouth agape.
“Oh my gosh,” he breathed.
I shared his enthusiasm. The top-notch instrumentalists provided lush accompaniment to “The Candy Man” and the dreamy “Pure Imagination,” tunes Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley composed for the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder that composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman incorporated into their 2017 Broadway score, which also includes “I've Got a Golden Ticket” and the infectious “Oompa Loompa Song.”
Stephen Schellhardt plays reclusive chocolatier Willy Wonka, who conceals his identity and opens a sweet shop hoping to learn why his candy no longer sells. He meets Charlie Bucket, played by the marvelous Meena Sood, an enchanting young pro who shares the role with Charlie Long. Charlie is an impoverished youngster who lives with her devoted mother (Jaye Ladymore) and her bedridden grandparents, including Grandpa Joe, a fanciful teller-of-tall-tales played with affable sincerity by the great Gene Weygandt.
Charlie wins a golden ticket granting her a tour of Wonka's fantastical factory. She's accompanied by four spoiled children and their parents: gluttonous Augustus Gloop (David Blakeman) and his nervous mother (Abby C. Smith); demanding, wannabe ballerina Veruca Salt (Devon Hayakawa) and her salt magnate father (Jason Richards); social media star Violet Beauregarde (Tiffany T. Taylor) and her ambitious dad (Lorenzo Rush Jr.); and bratty, video-gamer Mike Teavee (an especially unsettling August Forman) and his mother (Heidi Kettenring).
As the second act unfolds, the ill-mannered kids get their just desserts in cunningly devised ways familiar to readers and film lovers — all accompanied by the endearingly oddball Oompa Loompa chorus.
Of course there is no doubt which of Wonka's pint-size visitors will prevail to win the lifetime chocolate supply. That's apparent from the first meeting between store owner Wonka and fellow connoisseur Charlie, who accurately describes one of the candy man's creations as a chocolate ganache, not a chocolate bar.
Schellhardt conveys Wonka's admiration for Charlie's expertise subtlety, with an expression that suggests he knows right then he has found his heir. And although his rather benign Wonka lacks the obvious menace typically attributed to the character, I found Schellhardt's beautifully sung performance more appealing for its subtlety.
As a musical, however, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” could use some tweaking. While Shaiman and Wittman's music is pleasant — “A Letter From Charlie Bucket” and Ladymore's lovely “If Your Father Were Here” in particular — the most memorable numbers are Bricusse and Newley's.
Moreover, the second act suffers from clumsy storytelling and missed opportunities on the part of book writer David Greig.
And yet this family-friendly, holiday alternative is a show worth seeing. If for no other reason than it reminds us of the importance of kindness, and that is a lesson not soon forgotten.
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Location: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666, paramountaurora.com
Showtimes: 1:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 14
Running time: About 2 hours 30 minutes with intermission
Tickets: Start at $28
Parking: Limited street parking, paid lots nearby
Rating: For most audiences, might be too intense for young children