St. Luke’s satisfies sweet tooth

Rhonda Simmons
Published: March 6, 2008

Whether you love chocolate or not, after you watch the Willy Wonka Jr. play you are bound to leave the building with a sweet tooth.

The 1 ½-hour musical features a cynical candy mogul on a quest to find an heir to his 1,700-room chocolate factory while taking five lucky golden ticket holders on a tour of his edible empire.

In addition to the outing, the fortunate finders of those special tickets also received a lifetime supply of chocolate — any kid's dream.

Prior to the tasty tour, the eccentric Willy Wonka, who is not too fond of children, ironically targets Charlie Bucket, a poor yet good-hearted boy living in a modest home with his parents and bedridden grandparents - as the perfect person to take over his flavorful franchise by slyly making sure Charlie received a golden ticket.

This stage adaptation - performed by the St. Luke's Players tonight and Saturday starts at 7 p.m. - combines Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" with songs from the classic movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

Inside the factory, Wonka guides the gullible group through his wall-to-wall candy covered palace enticing them with tempting treats to test their willpower.

Undoubtedly, kids will be kids and surely you can guess what happens when they come face-to-face with endless sugary sweets.

Ninth-grader Taylor Ballard, 16, plays Willy Wonka perfectly using animated facial movements while he's talking to a fellow actor, but displaying another expression as he cleverly turns toward the crowd.

Wonka's potential successor played by seventh-grader Nicolai Gravina-Kursell, 13, portrays Charlie with the ideal boyish charm.

This play also features myriad  songs with dancing lime-green-wig-wearing Oompa Loompas, who will have you singing, "Oompa Loompa Doopadaee Doo" after the show.

Several cast members also leave lasting impressions.

They include Augustus Gloop, the overeating plump kid played by Sam Armm and the gum smacking "Southern belle" Violet Beauregarde performed by Danielle Scott. Victoria Corbin nails the pouty brat Veruca Salt and Jordan Orndorff portrays the gadget-wielding teen Mike Teavee.

After Tuesday's dress rehearsal, St. Luke's directors Sarah Sydnor and Tracey Stakem offered constructive criticism to the cast in an effort to perfect the performance.

Simply put, the St. Luke's Players produce a delicious show.

Rhonda Simmons can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 125 or .

Want to go-
What: St. Luke's Players present the Willy Wonka Jr. play
Where: St. Luke's Lutheran School
When: Tonight and Saturday at 7
Cost: $7 for adult and $3 for students and children