'Willy Wonka Jr.' a Sweet Treat for Proud Peters Parents

Oompa loompa gobble dee doo, I’ve got a little riddle for you: Where can you find a heap of talented young actors?

The answer is obvious to anyone in the sold-out theater at Peters Township Middle School. It's the boys and girls in Roald Dahl’s "Willy Wonka Jr."

Directors Nicole Marie Gasse and Lorra Brannen serve up musical fun frothier than a glass of Fizzy-Lifting Drink.

Charlie Bucket (a charismatic Charlie Meyers) pines for a golden ticket, a special reward hidden in a one-in-a-million chocolate bar by wacky confectioner, Willy Wonka (Sebastian Hymson). Reporter Philea Trout (a stunning Vanessa St. Clair) interviews the lucky ticket holders. The winners, gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Alex Franco), uber-spoiled Veruca Salt (a delightful Kylie Marshall), gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde (a fun Ally Ruggieri) and television addict Mike Teavee (a hilarious Cullen Browell) are presented to the audience after they unwrap their precious candy bars. Finally, Charlie is the last of the lucky winners.

In the first act the characters are introduced and Charlie mopes about hoping to win the coveted prize. In the second act, Charlie and the spoiled brats tour the magical factory where all the sweet treats are made — in creative and bizarre ways. That’s when the real fun begins.

The Oompa Loompas added oomph after the intermission. The strange little creatures, here portrayed as a group of adorable girls in green fright wigs, spin and prance about. They sing about the vices of the self-destructive children, dotting the I's and crossing the T's in this melodramatic morality musical.

The imaginative candy maker is seeking an heir to his wondrous chocolate factory, and most of the bratty brood prove unworthy of the honor.

Spoiler alert: Charlie gets the biggest prize of all when he apologizes for his bad behavior, a secret sip of the aforementioned Fizzy-Lifting Drink.  

It is a sweet little production.

The kids never miss a cue. Though, Candy Man Luke Makrinos could have belted out the most memorable tune, “Candy Man,” when his microphone refused to work. Although he was forced to sing softly, the boy won over the audience with his charming demeanor.

It seemed as if everyone at the middle school was involved in this performance. It may have been the biggest cast ever to grace the stage since “Henry VI, Part II.” Cecil B. DeMille would have declared, “A cast of thousands!”  

The tiny teens got to show off all of their talents. There’s a little bit of everything in this show. Charlie and his dad, Mr. Bucket (Zachary Rothaar), even strut their stuff in a tap-dancing sequence.

The most important thing is that the kids looked like they were having a ball up there on the stage. They were an enthusiastic bunch of budding thespians.

In "Willy Wonka Jr.," much like the original movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (the good one with Gene Wilder), there was a spooky sequence that took place on a boat in a river of chocolate that may have been too scary for some smaller audience members, but the rest of the play is mostly harmless.

Since most of the audiences were family members of the performers, they were eating up this delicious production.

Did you take your kids out to “Willy Wonka Jr.”? It was just the ticket!

To view more musical photos, visit the school district's Facebook page.