Cappies Review of Centreville's Production of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka
Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies.
The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. There are fifteen Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada.
Editor's Note: This review of Centreville High School's production of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka is written by Gwendolyn Eagle of Westfield High School.
The beloved tale of five golden ticket winners, Oompa Loompas, and the Candyman himself came alive in Centreville High School's Whipple Scrumptious Fudge Mallow Delight production of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka!
Based upon Dahl's classic 1964 book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka tells the story of Charlie Bucket and four other golden ticket winners as they take a tour through the magically mysterious chocolate factory created by Willy Wonka. This vibrantly fantastical musical, crafted by Timothy Allen McDonald and Leslie Bricusse, premiered in 2004 before being commissioned by Music Theatre International.
The master chocolatier, Willy Wonka, played by Alexander Cox, captured audiences as his smooth voice and mysterious tone wandered across the house, pulling all into a magical world of "Pure Imagination." Cox stepped into the shoes of a comedically sinister and eccentric Willy Wonka, using timed sarcasm and consistent physical quirks to expand the life inside the chocolate factory. A perfect contrast came in the form of Madelyn Regan as a larger-than-life Charlie Bucket. Regan's cartoonish movements and facial expressions highlighted every action taken. Regan's incredible singing voice paralleled her character voice; Regan's ability to meld with everyone in the scene kept the show cohesive.
Gabriel Amiryar played the sensational and ever-gluttonous Augustus Gloop. From singing in a lovely over-the-top German accent to hanging halfway off the stage, Amiryar stayed a fully invested Augustus from start to finish. Amiryar's ability to mesh with his stage partners was an integral part of the show's success and set an excellent tone for the other golden ticket winners introduced later. The notorious golden ticket winner, Veruca Salt, was played by Katie Wood. Wood put life into Veruca, making her more dimensional and memorable. Wood displayed impressive vocal dynamics in songs like "I Want It Now!" that paired amazingly with massive yet flowy mesmerizing body movements.
The ensemble did a spectacular job, with many switching in and out of roles seamlessly, keeping the audience immersed. The ticket winners' refreshing, consistent, connected performance kept the show moving. The parents of the ticket winners also did a fabulous job as they created characters separate from their children while still displaying an incredible bond that made sense for every kid's behavior. Their ability to switch from very defined characters to the synchronized and identical Oompa Loompas was admirable and showed the talent shared throughout the cast.
Costumes, led by Laura Mineo and Emily Thomas, displayed creative and thoughtful designs with incredible detail. The color coordination for each child was both clever and helpful, and the variety of outfit choices allowed each character's personality to shine as actors used costume pieces to sink deeper into their characters. Accenting the costumes were the lights, led by Ronnie Sanders and Elisabeth Stuebner. The lighting mixed well with everything that was happening on stage. The colors paralleled the choices made by the costuming crew, and the strategic use of lights created a contrast between the washed-out atmosphere of the Bucket's house and the wondrous factory. Keshmin Curtusan and Jayla Eddy led the sound team, demonstrating skilled techniques to cleverly mix audio that made the use of mics barely noticeable. The sly use of sound created amazing effects and added to the actor's boundless energy.
Centreville High School's production of Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka delivers a mystically heartwarming tale of chocolate rivers and bubbly fizzy drinks as it shows what can happen when you "Think Positive!"
