After watching the spirited musical version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I began to wonder if author Roald Dahl actually liked children. As entertaining, whimsical and creative as the show is, it could certainly invoke nightmares. Willie Wonka, a famous chocolatier, creates a contest where the winners of five golden tickets and their parents get to tour his factory. The winners, except for poor, humble Charlie, represent vices of children: spoiled rotten, arrogant and aggressive, competitive and boastful, gluttonous and greedy. Each of the four meets a gruesome and nightmarish end. One gets stuck in a machine, another blows up and bursts, a third becomes miniaturized and the fourth is thrown away as a “bad nut” by the trained squirrels. It’s enough to give you bad dreams. At least, unlike the movie, the “bad children” are played by adults so maybe that’s why the audience isn’t as disturbed.
Charlie is the opposite. His family is extremely poor, yet Charlie remains positive and upbeat. He gets one chocolate bar a year for his birthday and hopes optimistically to find the fifth ticket.
Broadway favorite Christian Borle stars as Willie, a childlike chocolatier. Although Charlie is obviously poor yet gentle and nice, Willie keeps tempting and teasing him. When the children in the factory meet horrible ends, Willie blithely moves on. Borle is like a big child himself, teasing, taunting and playful. He’s always smiling, but his Willie has a dark side.