By Chip Dombrowski, Entertainment Editor

Bandon’s New Artists aim high with ‘Willy Wonka’ musical

BANDON — New Artists Productions has great expectations for its latest show.

For months, directors Dan and Anita Almich have been saying “Willy Wonka Junior,” which opens tonight at the Sprague Community Theater, would be good. Specifically, “as good as ‘Fiddler.’”

A year ago, the group got its best reception ever with “Fiddler on the Roof Junior.”  An outpouring of community praise declared the show exceeded not just previous New Artists shows but most local theater in recent memory.

It was an important milestone for the youth theater group, founded 10 years ago by a retired couple with no previous theatrical experience, to win accolades in a community sprinkled with retired professional actors.

Success was a bit of a surprise then, but this time it’s been on the agenda since day one. Auditions for “Willy Wonka” drew a record 42 young actors.

“For the first time, we had to turn people away,” said Dan Almich.

In one swoop, the group went from never having a competitive audition to facing an almost 2-to-1 ratio of kids trying out to parts available. In the past, the Almichs created parts for everyone, but they didn’t think they could manage such a large group. They settled on a cast of 22, with six stage crew members also appearing as extras.

Stage crew member Dustin Wilson, 9, is thrilled to be involved in his first show and hopes to get a part next time.

Despite an influx of boys into the program — there are eight in the cast — three of the leading male parts went to girls. Among those is Jeneveve Winchell, 13, who plays Grandpa Joe. It’s one thing to cross the gender line and another to play someone more than five times older, and then there’s doing both at the same time.

“It’s definitely different from what I’m used to,” Winchell said. “It’s going to be some of the most extreme makeup I’ve ever worn.”

She also had to alter her singing voice, since Grandpa isn’t a soprano. With all the hard work, she predicted a great show.

“We’re hoping this will go above and beyond (‘Fiddler’) and every year we can keep going up,” she said.

Other cast members were wary of setting expectations too high.

“I don’t think it’s as good as ‘Fiddler,’” Zeta Hay started; “but it’s pretty close,” Thaddeus Miller finished.

The show is, however, the group’s most technically ambitious production, with 19 scene changes, extensive use of the Sprague’s fly gallery and custom-made sound effects (operated by Brianna Bittner).

Putting it all together has been exhausting for the Almichs, especially Dan.

“After the show, we’re going to collapse,” he said.

The play

Self-proclaimed the greatest candymaker of all time, Willy Wonka (Destyni Fuller) is ready to retire. Lacking an heir to take over his business, he devises a contest to find one, but hides its true purpose, publicly offering only a tour of his secretive factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

News of the contest raises interest in the impoverished household of young Charlie Bucket (Emily Wampler). His parents, who call each other Mr. Bucket (Russel Hay) and Mrs. Bucket (Hope Hay) as if they were still newlyweds, have a hard time supporting two sets of grandparents (Jeneveve Winchell, Hayley Chandler, Daniel Undell and Rose Garrett) on Mr. Bucket’s job at the toothpaste factory, leaving Charlie without any money for luxuries such as candy.

But Charlie is nonetheless a fan of Wonka treats, thanks to the Candy Man (Thaddeus Miller), who slips free product to Charlie when paying customers aren’t looking.

As the contest unfolds, reporter Phineous Trout (Miller) documents the finding of five golden tickets hidden in candy wrappers. Wonka failed to foresee the advantage of wealthy contestants who could buy large quantities of candy bars, yielding a pool full of spoiled brats. There’s Augustus Gloop (Sawyer Heckard), a poster of child obesity; Veruca Salt (Tessa Fuller), a demanding nut-fortune heiress; Violet Beauregarde (Zeta Hay), an incessant gum-chewer; and Mike Teavee (Josiah Hay), who is obsessed with TV and video games and orders his mother (Liza Skeie) around. The other parents (Kinzi Silburn, Trenten Gagnon and Autumn Moss-Strong) are similarly indulgent.

However, the last ticket is destined for Charlie, and he and Grandpa Joe join the other contestants and parents at the factory, where the Oompa Loompas (Emily Wilson, David Vincent, Olivia Kinkaid, Raelynn Stewart, Aria Giovanetti, Russel Hay, Hope Hay, Chandler, Undell and Garrett) toil.

With a biting sense of humor, Wonka leads a tour designed to test the kids’ weaknesses in ways that would not be advisable without obtaining extensive liability waivers.

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