Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, also known simply Willy Wonka, is a musical with music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and a book by Bricusse and Timothy Allen McDonald. It is based on 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. The musical was commissioned by Music Theatre International and is licensed for performance by amateur theatre groups.
Development
After getting approval from the Dahl estate, McDonald and Bricusse worked together on the musical. McDonald said "Our challenge was to create a live theatrical musical event that satisfied your expectations of the book and the film – but hopefully gave you another experience also." They used music that Bricusse and his former musical collaborator Newley, who had died in 1999, had created for the 1971 movie, and Bricusse also wrote new songs with a "retro-sounding" style that matched the earlier music.
Plot
Act One
Willy Wonka introduces himself to the audience and summons his Oompa-Loompa workers, announcing that he is retiring and he must choose a new successor when he does ("Pure Imagination" / "The Golden Age of Chocolate"). Wonka, acting as narrator, introduces the impoverished Bucket family: Mr. And Mrs. Bucket, their young son Charlie, and Charlie's four bedridden grandparents, Grandpa George, Grandma Georgina, Grandpa Joe, and Grandma Josephine. Grandpa Joe assures Charlie that he is destined to work for Wonka making candy, just like he did when he was younger. However, Wonka fired all his workers years ago after one of his candy recipes had been stolen and sold to his competitors and locked the gates of his factory forever. Mysteriously, however, the factory has continued to produce candy. But nobody ever goes in and nobody ever comes out.
A group of children gather outside Charlie's house, each clutching a nickel to buy a Wonka bar from the candy shop ("The Candy Man"). Charlie is the only child too poor to buy any candy, but the candy shop owner treats him to a lollipop and a copy of yesterday's newspaper. Charlie takes the paper home, and the Buckets learn from it that Wonka has announced a contest where five lucky children will go on a tour of his factory and get a lifetime supply of chocolate at the end if they find one of five Golden Tickets hidden in Wonka Bars.
The first ticket is found by Augustus Gloop, an obese, gluttonous German boy ("I Eat More!"). The second ticket is found in São Paulo, Brazil, by an extremely spoiled girl named Veruca Salt. Her wealthy father, a macadamia nut magnate, had purchased hundreds of thousands of the candy bars and put his entire factory workforce to work searching for the ticket. As the search continues, Mr. Bucket loses his job at the toothpaste factory. Charlie encourages him not to give up hope ("Think Positive"). On Charlie's birthday, his family gives him a Wonka Bar for a present. Everyone manages to suppress their disappointment when Charlie unwraps the bar and finds no Golden Ticket.
The third ticket is found in Snellville, Georgia, by Violet Beauregarde, an abrasive girl who is constantly chewing gum. The fourth ticket is found in Television City, California, by Mike Teavee, a boy who seems more interested in television, video games, and cell phones than touring Wonka's factory ("I See it All on TV"). That night, before Charlie goes to bed, Grandpa Joe reveals that he has secretly purchased another Wonka Bar for Charlie. They open the bar together, but it contains only chocolate. The Buckets tell Charlie not to be discouraged ("Cheer Up, Charlie").
As winter approaches, the Bucket's situation is becoming increasingly desperate. Charlie is helping the candy shop owner pack his wares when he finds a silver dollar on the ground. He assumes that it must belong to the shop owner and tries to return it, but the owner tells Charlie to bring it home to his family. He also gives Charlie a Wonka Bar as a reward for his honesty. Charlie buys another Wonka Bar to share with his family. He unwraps the bar and finds the last ticket. He runs home to his family and reads the ticket aloud, saying that the tour is tomorrow and he can only bring one family member with him to the factory. Charlie chooses Grandpa Joe to accompany him on the factory tour, prompting Joe to get out of the bed for the first time in years. ("(I've) Got a Golden Ticket").