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Blue Springs, MO —
The Blue Springs City Theatre is at it again.
Opening tonight, cast and crew, complete with Oompa Loompas, will present the musical “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” at the Blue Springs High School Auditorium. Directed by Aaron Stokes, the wildly famous story is about a young poverty-stricken boy named Charlie Bucket, played by Sam Aubuchon, who longs for a life of comfort beyond the one he lives with his mother and father and grandparents.
When the mysterious candy man Willy Wonka, played by Kitten Boggs, is letting five children into his factory for a grand tour, Charlie is thrilled.
The mysterious candy man offers not only a tour of his factory but a lifetime supply of free chocolate. All the children have to do is find a Golden Ticket in a Wonka Chocolate Bar.
Written in 1964 by Roald Dahl, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was inspired by Dahl’s experience of chocolate companies during his childhood. Two companies – Cadbury and Rowntree – were the largest makers of chocolate in England, and the intense secrecy both companies maintained inspired Dahl to write the story.
There’s no secrecy behind the City Theatre’s production.
Anny Hiestand, a Blue Springs resident and one of the cast members, said audiences will enjoy the production.
“It’s a fantastic cast,” Hiestand said. “We’ve all worked really hard on it.”
While the production stays close to traditional renditions, Hiestand said the musical director took some creative liberty with the band music.
“They’re using more modern pop and rock music to give it more edge,” she said. “There’s a little more spark to it. They all agreed that they wanted to do something a little different.”
Special effects are also involved, such as people disappearing and reappearing on television.
Hiestand has performed before for the company. Her last appearance was two years ago when the company performed “The Sound of Music.”
Last year’s season marked a kind of renaissance for the group, which renewed its Blue Springs High School Auditorium use contract with the school district late last year and still holds out hope that one day it will have its own building. There’s still no word on a new location for the company, however.
The proposal for its own building has been talked about by group members and the city, which both agree that the theater group, which has long since proved itself as a popular and marketable organization, would benefit from its own building.
One suggestion included a facility near the downtown area.
The “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” production continues a busy 2012 season for the troupe. In October, the group will present “A Tomb with a View,” and in December they will perform “Babes in Toyland.”
The Blue Springs City Theatre is at it again.
Opening tonight, cast and crew, complete with Oompa Loompas, will present the musical “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” at the Blue Springs High School Auditorium. Directed by Aaron Stokes, the wildly famous story is about a young poverty-stricken boy named Charlie Bucket, played by Sam Aubuchon, who longs for a life of comfort beyond the one he lives with his mother and father and grandparents.
When the mysterious candy man Willy Wonka, played by Kitten Boggs, is letting five children into his factory for a grand tour, Charlie is thrilled.
The mysterious candy man offers not only a tour of his factory but a lifetime supply of free chocolate. All the children have to do is find a Golden Ticket in a Wonka Chocolate Bar.
Written in 1964 by Roald Dahl, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was inspired by Dahl’s experience of chocolate companies during his childhood. Two companies – Cadbury and Rowntree – were the largest makers of chocolate in England, and the intense secrecy both companies maintained inspired Dahl to write the story.
There’s no secrecy behind the City Theatre’s production.
Anny Hiestand, a Blue Springs resident and one of the cast members, said audiences will enjoy the production.
“It’s a fantastic cast,” Hiestand said. “We’ve all worked really hard on it.”
While the production stays close to traditional renditions, Hiestand said the musical director took some creative liberty with the band music.
“They’re using more modern pop and rock music to give it more edge,” she said. “There’s a little more spark to it. They all agreed that they wanted to do something a little different.”
Special effects are also involved, such as people disappearing and reappearing on television.
Hiestand has performed before for the company. Her last appearance was two years ago when the company performed “The Sound of Music.”
Last year’s season marked a kind of renaissance for the group, which renewed its Blue Springs High School Auditorium use contract with the school district late last year and still holds out hope that one day it will have its own building. There’s still no word on a new location for the company, however.
The proposal for its own building has been talked about by group members and the city, which both agree that the theater group, which has long since proved itself as a popular and marketable organization, would benefit from its own building.
One suggestion included a facility near the downtown area.
The “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” production continues a busy 2012 season for the troupe. In October, the group will present “A Tomb with a View,” and in December they will perform “Babes in Toyland.”
