Children’s theater presents ‘Willy Wonka Junior’

It's an irresistible invitation:

"Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination ... "

Especially when the invitation comes from the candy man himself, Willy Wonka.

Kids of all ages have been gobbling up Wonka's scrumdidilyumptious adventures since 1964, when author Roald Dahl's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" first appeared.

But it was "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" - the 1971 movie adaptation that promoted Wonka to title-role status - that helped cement the quirky chocolatier's enduring appeal.

And now Wonka moves from page to stage in "Willy Wonka Junior," a theatrical version that brings the beloved movie's characters, and songs, back to life.

Las Vegas Children's Musical Theater will present the musical at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in The Smith Center's Troesh Studio Theater. (The 7:30 p.m. show has already sold out.)

The group initially planned to present only one performance of "Wonka Junior," but tickets went so quickly they added the 5:30 p.m. show, notes Cherilyn Beanan , who's directing and choreographing the show.

Very much inspired by, and based on, the 1971 movie, "Wonka Junior" includes all the featured songs by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse - plus a few more.

There's "The Candy Man," of course, and "I've Got a Golden Ticket," the exultant number young Charlie Bucket (played by 10-year-old Thomas Wright) sings when he realizes he's won one of five passes to tour the magical realm run by Willy Wonka (played by 13-year-old Lauren Phillips).

Little wonder that "Golden Ticket" is Wright's favorite song from the show. "It's very cheery and just fun," he says.

"Wonka Junior" augments the movie's familiar soundtrack with additional tunes, including Wonka's own "The Golden Age of Chocolate."

But it's Wonka "jokes" and "all the acting he does" that appeal most to Phillips.

It's also why she prefers the 1971 movie to 2005's Tim Burton-directed "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," with Johnny Depp in the role originally played by Gene Wilder.

"The original one is more real," Phillips says, "and not movie effects."

The stage version also has signature numbers for all five of Wonka's young visitors: nonstop gum-chewer Violet Beauregarde (Ashley Berry, 13), gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Emily Brown, 11), TV fanatic Mike Teevee (Chase Daniels, 13) and spoiled-rotten, instant-gratification addict Veruca Salt (11-year-old Caitlin Beanan - and yes, her mom's directing the show).

The kids' bad habits may be the same, but the styles have definitely changed since 1971, giving this "Wonka Junior" a "fresh look," Beanan explains.

In this production, Mike Teevee sports a mohawk haircut rather than a cowboy hat, she points out. And Veruca is now "a pageant princess," Beanan says - in addition to being an insufferable brat.

Good thing the diminutive Oompa Loompas are on hand to point out the error of their ways and dispense cautionary words of wisdom.

Good thing, too, there are plenty of Oompa Loompas - at least two dozen - to provide "the backbone to the show," Beanan says. "Without them, the factory would be nonmagical."

Magic may play a major role in "Willy Wonka Junior," but the tale also provides a few sobering reminders of reality - especially in Las Vegas, where "so many" people "have lost their homes and their jobs," Beanan reflects.

They're not so different from the members of the impoverished Bucket family, who live together in a tumbledown shack.

Despite their poverty, "Charlie's an everyday kid," with "such a happy disposition," the director observes. "He's looking for that magic for his family."

And while the Troesh Studio Theater may be intimate, there's plenty of room for that magic to bloom.

With multiple stage configurations possible, "we have the theater on the floor and we're raising the audience," Beanan says.

A 40-foot stairway platform (which, in a previous life, played a "42nd Street" railway station) serves as Wonka's chocolate factory.

And a revolving set provides three backdrops: the Bucket family shack; the factory's Invention Room, where Charlie and his grandfather ingest enough fizzy lifting drinks to send them soaring to the ceiling; and the Nut Room, where Veruca finally gets her comeuppance.

The show's 36 performers have been rehearsing weekly since October, at Beanan's northwest Las Vegas Dance Connection studio, to create "Willy Wonka Junior's" world of pure imagination.

Following Las Vegas Children's Musical Theatre policy, everyone who auditioned for the show was cast in the show.

"We wanted to give an opportunity for kids to be involved in theater," Beanan says. "Every kid who walks in the door has an opportunity to be part of the magic."

Contact reporter Carol Cling at ccling@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.