For some reason, large numbers of people have been stumbling upon one of my articles, searching for "the ugly parts of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Now, I'm not certain if they are curious about the many disturbing parts of this children's novel-turned-film-turned-stage-musical. Or, perhaps they are looking for the key differences of each film version. In either case, you can learn a lot about the creative evolution of Roald Dahl's masterpiece by reading our review of Willy Wonka Jr.
Willy Wonka Jr. is published by Broadway Jr., a company with a very clever idea. They offer condensed and "cleaned up" versions of popular musicals such as Into the Woods and Guys and Dolls. Some of the "extraneous" production numbers are cut, and the dialogue is substantially trimmed. The average show's running time is under 80 minutes. The result is a kid-friendly, easy-to-produce show, suitable for young performers. The downside: all of the trimming and revising can remove some of the heartfelt elements of the musical. Case in point: Willy Wonka Jr.
Read more about this popular version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the musical that was revamped especially for child performers.
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