ORANGE — About 63 Orange students in grades four through 12 have been working for four months to bring you a scrumdiddlyumptious rendition of “Willy Wonka Jr.”

Director Julie Bouchard said she has held rehearsals six days a week to get ready for six performances that start with opening night on Friday.

“We started rehearsals in January, basically with just music rehearsals, singing for the first month,” Bouchard said inside Ralph C. Mahar Regional School’s Kermit Cook Auditorium shortly before the start of a rehearsal. “And then the stage design started coming together in the late part of March.”

Friday’s opening night performance is scheduled for 7 p.m., the same time shows will start on May 6, May 12 and May 13. Additional shows on Sundays, May 7 and 14, will begin at 2 p.m.

Any play with the “Jr.” suffix has been crafted to be more appropriate for the youngsters performing them. Bouchard explained the plays are typically shorter in length, consist of fewer songs and come with a CD of all musical accompaniment.

“This is the core reason that we do them,” she said, adding that full-scale performances require schools or theater companies to provide their own orchestras.

And while “Willy Wonka Jr.” may contain some variances from the Broadway version and the cherished films starring Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, the script still adheres to the major plot points from Roald Dahl’s classic 1964 children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The story centers around Charlie Bucket, who finds a coveted golden ticket in a candy bar to win a tour of the mysterious Wonka factory.

“We’re talking about a young boy, who doesn’t have dreams and hopes,” Bouchard said. “The whole Bucket family just wants hope for Charlie.”

Charlie Bucket will be portrayed by seventh grader Evan Piscatello, 13, who said rehearsals have gone swimmingly.

“The show’s amazing,” he said. “This is my first big theatrical production. Julie always makes it amazing.”

The title character will be played by Mahar senior Liam Lucas-Mullen, 18, who said he has been impressed with the younger students’ work ethic.

“It’s been a couple of years since we actually did a show,” he said, citing the pandemic as the reason. “Luckily, we have an amazing team. They’ve made this amazing setup there and the kids have done great. They’ve all learned their lines really quickly. It’s just been amazing seeing how everyone was able to — after four or so years — actually put something together.”

Anyone interested in reserving tickets, which cost $10, should call 978-544-6377.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.

]]>