Review: WILLY WONKA at Saguaro City Music Theatre

Saguaro City Music Theatre is back for its third season with a strong opener. WILLY WONKA is a sweet treat and delightful family entertainment! There are many theaters in the Valley producing WILLY WONKA at this time. I was on the creative team for another WONKA production in Phoenix this summer. However, Saguaro City is able to conjure up a delectable dish of a show that truly stands out and will make you want to come back for more!

The production is directed by Drew Humphrey, with music direction by Jamie Reed and choreography by Dena DiGiacinto. The three points of the musical theatre triangle work well together here, to create a seamless and toe-tapping extravaganza. This production of WILLY WONKA is Theatre for Young Audiences, which means that it is designed specifically for children and clocks in at about 75 minutes (not including the 15-minute intermission). Saguaro City seeks to "eliminate barriers between children and theatre", and they have more than succeeded here. I counted 40 children onstage, and it was a remarkable stage picture that they achieved, in conjunction with the adult professional cast members. It was a beautiful collaboration of artists of all abilities, the culmination of a 3-week musical theatre intensive camp.

It is important to give special acknowledgment to the vast ensemble of talented kids. This production of WILLA WONKA showcased a robust children's ensemble featuring: Marsallis Augustine, Penny Cable, Stella Marchman Chavez, Ruby Escalante, Haven Foster, Rain Gonda, Reese Hedgepeth, Miriam Howell, Seliana Johnston, Kennedy Kay, Josephine Kevelson, Olive Kirkley, Sam Kiser, Taavi Kuya, Max Laguna, Madeline Lovemore, Ian Nattrass, Sierra Nattrass, Benny Pixleysmith, Helen Ritchie, Eliberto Sanchez, Alessandra Sipp, Quinn Taylor, Sofia Tonelli-Pepe, Danica Toth-Cwiak, Leif Van Den Berg, Stella Webb, Julia Wetzel, Audrey White, and Daisy Williamson. It is inspiring, I am sure, for the kids in the audience to see so many kids onstage singing and dancing their hearts out. This is an achievement and needs to be celebrated! I was particularly impressed with the trio singing by Kennedy, Miriam, and Julia at the beginning of the show. These kids all sounded really good!

Adult Ensemble members Camille Beeson and Drew Frieders did a superb job leading the Ensemble and creating beautiful magic onstage. Child principal actors Ariadna Arredondo, Ellie Bao, AJ Barrios (who was born to play Mike Teavee), Maiyah Black, Lucy Cable (perfectly cast as Charlie), Elowyn Lipson, Wyatt Nattrass, Ayla Olivias (who commands the stage as Veruca), Dylan Pan, and Everest Sipp played their parts to perfection and were all shining stars in their own right. James Kelley Carrol and Lily Grubert had pitch-perfect chemistry and genuinely gorgeous vocals together onstage as the Buckets. Wesley Geary was lovely in his performance of "The Candy Man." Grace Gebara, who I last saw onstage in LEGALLY BLONDE at the U of A, is hilarious and adds a great deal to this production. Catherine Kim did great work in the number "I See It All On TV."

Chris Will is who I will think of going forward when I hear the name "Wonka." He has the persona down perfectly and his acting struck the right balance between heartwarming and quirky. I am not easily impressed by adult vocals, and there were quite a few times when I found myself nodding at the vocal choices that Chris was making. This is a Wonka who can not only act but can also sing, and quite well. It is easy, as was previously mentioned, for Wonka to be a character that is too creepy or too over-the-top. Chris Will played the part with grace, humor, and genuine kindness that made me like and relate to Wonka as a real human being and fleshed-out character. Well done!

With so many productions of WILLY WONKA around Arizona this summer, it is clear that Saguaro City has a contender for a delightful production that is well worth seeing. The lighting by Christopher Mason is crisp and warm, inviting audiences into this magical world. Technically the show is great to look at, and also features some insanely hilarious gags in the second act. Tickets are sold out for the remainder of the run as of now. For more information about Saguaro City, please visit saguarocity.org.

Photo by Ray Frieders.

To post a comment, you must register and login.