Glasgow ‘Willy Wonka’ event turned into Edinburgh Fringe show with original 1971 film actors

16 July, 2024

Gene Wilder in 'Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory'

The ill-fated Willy Wonka children’s event that took place in Glasgow earlier this year is to be turned into an Edinburgh Fringe show – and two of the original actors from the 1971 film will be there.

Earlier this year, an experience event for children that was based on Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonks And The Chocolate Factory book and the Timothée Chalamet movie, Wonka, went viral after receiving dozens of complaints from parents.

What appeared to be an immersive, Wonka-themed attraction, disappointed many members of the Glasgow public after being held in an abandoned warehouse using cheap props, costumes plus an AI-generated script.

The £35 a ticket event was quickly shut down after receiving dozens of complaints from angry parents, many of whom demanded their money back and called the police.

Now, Julie Dawn Cole and Paris Themmen, who played Veruca Salt and Mike Teevee respectively in the 1971 movie starring Gene Wilder, will co-narrate a new show at Edinburgh Festival based on the debacle.

Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody will also see some of those involved in the original event in Glasgow will also take part, including Kirsty Paterson, who became a viral hit after pictures emerged of her as a sad Oompa Loompa. Organisers also promised there would be some additional “surprises” leading to speculation some of the other actors involved in the original event will participate.

The show, created by US producer Richard Kraft and directed by Andy Fickman, will run at the Pleasance King Dome from 9-26 August.

Speaking about the show, producer Kraft said: “It was only in March that I came up with the notion for a stage musical,” (via Sky News).

He continued: “I had a press release before I had a show. Then a great team of top songwriters wrote our score of 16 tunes. Next, the perfect director, Andy Fickman, signed on. And now our dream cast has assembled to premiere this crazy idea at the Edinburgh Fringe.

“Even in my purest imagination, I couldn’t have seen this all coming together so beautifully and so fast. It is simply scrumdiddlyumptious.”

The producers of the show have stressed that the musical is a parody and there is no association with the original event or to those who own the copyright to Dahl’s book.

Director Fickman added: “I feel like Willy Wonka himself standing at the gates to the factory with this remarkable cast all arriving with their golden tickets ready to perform.

“Working with this glorious cast in this dreamy musical is already a joy, but to add the original Veruca Salt and Mike Teevee to the mix – my head is having an explosion of sweet treats.”

Back in March, it reported that a movie about the ill-fated event was also in the works called The Unknown by Scotland film production company Kaledonia Pictures.

According to Bloody Disgusting, the production house said: “We are excited to begin production and look forward to sharing more with you as soon as possible. We are actually only a few miles from the event, so it is quite surreal to see Glasgow all over social media, worldwide.”

They previewed the upcoming horror, saying: “The film, gearing up for production and a late 2024 release, follows a renowned illustrator and his wife who are haunted by the tragic death of their son, Charlie.”

They continued: “Desperate to escape their grief, the couple leave the world behind for the remote Scottish Highlands – where an unknowable evil awaits them.” The Unknown is reportedly due for release in late 2024.

Earlier this year, while hosting Saturday Night Live, actor Sydney Sweeney also made a joke about the viral event.

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