Chicago Shakespeare Theater Staging Willy Wonka

By Amy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on May 29, 2008 6:51PM

Re-imagining any children’s story by author Roald Dahl is a shoo-in for a fun and lucrative undertaking, as Dahl’s stories are both beloved and well known. Adaptations of Dahl’s work have been fairly consistent in the Chicago theater scene, with the BFG running at DePaul University’s Theater School last year, the multi-media show done by The Annoyance in March, and the Emerald City Theater’s puppet production of James and the Giant Peach closing last month.

Now, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is trying their hand at bringing Dahl to the stage, with the Willy Wonka musical opening at Navy Pier in July. The production is a “degrees of separation” adaptation exercise of sorts, with the title, imagery, words and music lifted from the 1971 film adaptation Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which was based on Dahl’s original book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

While Willy Wonka will merely be rehashing the movie, instead of going back to the original source material, we can't fault CST for going that route. [Ed. Note: We saw how well utilizing the source material worked for Tim Burton.] Audiences will likely feel more of a connection with the production's use of the film score -- well-known music like “The Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination," as well as the film's familiar imagery. CST also has an impressive design team on board for the production, including the puppet designer from Victory Gardens Theater's The Snow Queen, which we thought was fantastically done.

Meanwhile, Dahl fans should keep their eyes peeled for the movie adaptations of The Twits and Fantastic Mr. Fox, both due to be released ... eventually.

Navy Pier at Jentes Family Auditorium, July 9 through August 17, $18 for children 12 and under, $23 for adults, recommended for children ages 5 and up