Published on May 18, 2018 | SI Live | Written by Charista S. Mroczek
This column is written by the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com collegiate correspondent.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Do you like musical theatre? I know I do. Some of my favorites include “Les Miserables,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” and “The Sound of Music.” I also really enjoy the soundtrack to “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Are you a Willy Wonka fan? If you are, then I have quite the treat for you!
Staten Island’s own Sundog Theatre is performing the Roald Dahl-inspired “Willy Wonka Kids” at the Staten Island Zoo Saturday, May 19, at 1:30 p.m. Including the songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder with a few fun, new songs, this is a performance guaranteed to delight everyone’s sweet tooth.
This production will immerse you into a young boy’s adventures on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory. After Willy Wonka holds a contest by placing five golden tickets in his famous candy bars, the five winners get a free tour of the Wonka factory, as well as an infinite supply of candy. Four of the five winning children are greedy, but the fifth is a kind boy named Charlie Bucket. The kids must learn to follow Mr. Wonka’s orders in his factory — or face the consequences.
Have you ever dreamed of tasting a Wonka bar? Now’s your chance! There will be Wonka Chocolate Bars for sale for $5 each at the performance. If you decide to purchase one, be on the lookout for the golden ticket! The person who finds the randomly placed ticket in one of the chocolate bars will win a cash prize of $50, which can be used toward the next Sundog Theatre Musical Theatre Kids class.
Enjoy Roald Dahl’s timeless story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir for free! There is no admission to “Willy Wonka Kids” — however, guests must still pay the admission fee into the Staten Island Zoo. The price for adults 15 and over is $10, seniors 60 and over is $7, and children ages 3-14 is $6.
Comprised of a cast of 30 talented individuals, “Willy Wonka Kids” was produced for Sundog Theatre by Susan Fenley and directed by Melissa Tierney.
The cast features (in alphabetical order): Luke Bonifacio (Augustus Gloop), Casey Boyle (Grandma Josephina), Noah Boyle (Charlie Bucket), Shannon Delaney (Veruca Salt), Stephanie DellaCave (Grandma Georgina), Angelica DiLillo (Sophie/ Oompa Loompa), Lyric Fallon (Honey/Oompa Loompa), Violet Fannon (Zinnia/Oompa Loompa), Willow Fallon (Mrs. Gloop), Emma Ferguson (Mrs. Bucket), Jack Galvin (Mr. Bucket), Katherine Garlisi (Ms. Teavee), Deanna Hamanjian (Silver/Oompa Loompa), and Ryan Hamanjian (Willy Wonka/Candy Man), Jacqueline Hepworth (Miranda/Oompa Loompa), Matthew Homme (Mr. Salt), Jonathan Horenburg (James), Angelica DiLillo (Phineous Trout), Faith Koryon (Hortensia/Oompa Loompa), Hope Koryon (Lavender/Oompa Loompa), Anna Krylova (Amanda/Oompa Loompa), Casey Lonergan (Grandpa George), Leah Marnick (Mrs. Beauregarde), Noah Miller (Bruce/Oompa Loompa), Madison Morgan (Violet Beauregarde), Diana Pizzino (Mike Teavee), Sean Ryan (Grandpa Joe), Ronan Sheehan (Billy/Oompa Loompa), and Gwendolyn Williams (Matilda).
Sundog’s mission is to develop musical theatre skills in boys and girls, ages 9-14. The goal is for kids to learn about the language of theatre, character development, choreography, projection and diction, presentation skills, and the importance of making choices onstage. It is a fun way to absorb valuable life and career skills while building relationships with lifelong friends.
— Staten Island native Charista Mroczek is a freshman at Barnard College of Columbia University.
