In 1971, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” hit theaters based on the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl. It was a huge hit, and became a pop culture touchstone for generations of children. Like any popular IP, it spawned plenty of adaptations, one of the most recent being a failed children’s event in Glasgow, Scotland called Willy’s Chocolate Experience.
The event was an AI-generated hellscape that was soon shut down by police. But with a dumpster fire this bright, you cannot contain its shine. Willy’s Chocolate Experience soon became fodder for memes and other parodies. Now, the event is getting its own musical parody “Willy’s Candy Spectacular,” starring actors from the event AND the ‘71 film!
1971’s Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole) and Mike Teavee (Paris Themmen) will star in the upcoming musical parody. They will be participating in a live reading at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Cole will lead the cast as a narrator from August 9th-18th, with Themmen stepping in on August 19th-26th.
Willy’s Chocolate Experience
In February of this year, Willy’s Chocolate Experience was held in Glasgow. Even though the images on the event’s website were AI-generated, organizers promised an “immersive experience.” Children were supposed to walk through the door and be transported to a “magical realm.”
Willy’s Chocolate Experience was really just a warehouse where they put a few vinyl wallhangs and some decor from Spencer’s Gifts. The worst part? The kids that attended weren’t even given chocolate. They were given jelly beans and some lemonade by actors trying to make the best out of a bad situation.
One of these actors is Kirsty Paterson, who was deemed the ‘Sad Oompa Loompa’ after an image of her looking bummed out went viral. Cast members also include Shelley Regner (“Pitch Perfect”), Eric Petersen (“School of Rock The Musical”), Nicole Greenwood (“In Plain Sight”), Wilkie Ferguson (“Broadway’s Motown: The Musical”), Cassandra Parker (“Cabaret”), and singer-songwriters Monica Evans and Chris Villain.
“Willy’s Candy Spectacular,” is produced by Richard Kraft (“The Little Mermaid Live”) under his Kraft-Engel Productions banner. Kraft will be writing the book for the musical alongside Andy Fickman (“Heathers: The Musical”).
“Willy’s Candy Spectacular” is already previewing some sone ahead of its August live readings. We’ll keep you posted on updates about this musical as they become available. You can grab tickets here.
