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danguy96 · 8 years ago

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My Ideas For A Dream Retool for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical

As some of you may know, in addition to currently working on my own retelling of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I was recently talking about the recent Broadway retool of the CatCF Musical which opened up in London in 2013, and in addition to expressing displeasure at how the transition from London to Broadway didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped it would have, I was also sort of mentioning how I had this sort of idea for a “Dream Retool” which would sort of rework the musical like the Broadway version did, but also sort of be a combination of both, rework things from the London version back in, and even re-include the characters of Marvin Prune and Miranda Mary Piker, both of which I decided to re-include for my version as well.

I already discussed this idea with @thevideonasty, @roristevens, and @catcfmusicaluniverse, so I thought I should share it with the rest of the people I know who are fans of Roald Dahl, Musical Theatre, and this particular musical and the story it’s based on.

Now, this is mostly just me throwing out ideas and then giving out the order of when the musical numbers should take place and how they would be staged, so I hope you like my ideas, even if they sound a bit like a pipe dream and admittedly aren’t completely realized, and I also apologize if some things seem a bit unorganized.

First off, before I get to the main parts of this post, I would like to sort of get a few bullet points out of the way:

- As I said before, I was thinking of having elements from the London version return, so while there may be some things from the Broadway version, elements from the London version will sort of win out in the end, such as (SPOILERS) Wonka disguising himself as a “Tramp”, and it not being revealed until the end, rather than fully giving away the plot in the first scene and having him disguised as a candy shop owner, like in the Broadway version.

- Also like the London version, I would probably have it take place in England (it is based off a story written by an English author, after all, and Matilda wasn’t stripped of it’s “English-ness” when it was transferred to Broadway, and I also would mostly do it because I kind of wanted Christian Borle to play Wonka with an English accent, since he can pull one off pretty well in my opinion)

- The bratty kids (six this time instead of four, with the addition of both Marvin Prune and Miranda Mary Piker) would probably be played by actual kids, but if I did have to use adult actors to play them, I would probably have them be played by young adults who can look “youthful”, but they would be casted with 18 or 19-year olds to early to mid-20 year olds (26 or 27 at the oldest), and I would probably do it to emphasize the “childhood innocence” aspect, kind of like what the English opera “The Golden Ticket” did.

- Though, if I were to cast young adults as the bratty kids, I was still thinking about which theatre actors I would choose to play Marvin and Miranda respectively. Maybe those who are more familiar with Musical Theatre could maybe give me suggestions as to who they think would fit the roles for the hypothetically casting of Marvin and Miranda (they would be portrayed similar to how they are going to be portrayed in my retelling, so keep those character descriptions and physical references in mind).

- Both of Charlie’s parents would be still alive, like in the London version and in the book, in order to distance itself a little bit from the Gene Wilder film, where Mrs. Bucket was a widow

- There would be one or two songs from the Gene Wilder film along with Pure Imagination, but I was also wanting to go back to focusing on the musical’s own score as well in order for it to feel like it’s own thing.

- The scenery porn, a defining part of the original production, would definitely be something I would bring back (especially for the “It Must Be Believed to Be Seen” number, and pretty much most of Act Two), though I would possibly include a few minimalist elements from the Broadway version, but it would probably be mostly used in Act One, mostly to give a contrast between the “real world” and the Factory, up to the point where we get the large gates of the Wonka Factory.

- The Oompa-Loompas would be brought to life via a mix of the trick costumes in the London version, and the puppetry used in the Broadway version.

- The Everlasting Gobstopper would be introduced in the Inventing Room like in the London version, and serve the same role as it did in the London version, unlike the Broadway version where it wasn’t introduced until near the very end in the Imagining Room (it kind of felt tacked on the way they did it there).

Now, here’s how I would fit in both Marvin Prune and Miranda Mary Piker in a retool of the musical, and how their numbers would go down:

Firstly, Marvin's musical number would come after Violet's, and I think would take maybe take a few cues from the new "What could possibly go wrong?" (Mike's new intro song, replacing "It's Teavee Time"), with it being performed by a small crowd representing people who've come to celebrate the victory of the boy celebrity, Marvin Prune (if you're familiar with my fanfic concept for a retelling of the story, my interpretation of Marvin Prune is a sort of jab at child stars and upper-class yuppies), and while his parents start announcing how they're so proud of their boy and how they should prepare themselves to meet their stunning boy... Marvin's appears in what would surely be one of his defining character moments by storming in (wearing a lavender night robe and maybe even a curler in his hair) and telling people to get out because he needs his "beauty rest", complaining how he only got the ticket by accident, complaining about he would hate to share the spotlight with that "gum-smacking bimbo" (yeah, there's sort of an implied rivalry between him and Violet, seeing as how they're both child celebrities for different reasons, but both are very prideful, even if Marvin's faults lie more in his vanity), and how he doesn't want to go because he considers the prospect of going to Wonka's factory to be a "cavity-inducing nightmare". But his parents (not wanting to waste any opportunity for good publicity) fuel up Marvin's ego through song, and convince him how this could be an opportunity to increase their popularity and wealth, and Marvin soon accepts going (even getting an "instant costume change" into his regular clothes halfway through the song), and the song becomes one big ego trip for Marvin, gloating about what he can supposedly do, but it's pretty obvious he'd rather just be famous for being famous (think sort of like Gaston's song from Beauty and the Beast, complete with French sounding violins and accordions, only Marvin's a bit more foppish and prissy than Gaston, and sort of becomes a butt monkey later on).

When Marvin arrives on the red carpet, he has rose petals thrown at his feet as he dances down the carpet, blowing kisses to his "fans" while also occasionally looking in his silver hand mirror (and, like Violet, there’s a very small encore of one part of his intro song as he makes his entrance). When he finally gets close to Cherry and Jerry, Marvin sort of breaks the fourth wall by shushing Cherry in order to signal the audience to keep applauding, before he decides it's enough (if you've seen the filmed version of Shrek the Musical, and what happens shortly after the "What's Up Duloc?" number, you probably know what I'm talking about). When he finally does allow Cherry to ask him a question, he starts something along the lines of "All I just want to say is that I'm just so overjoyed that so many of you wonderful, slightly-less-significant people have all decided to tune in to this event to bear witness to something truly greater than yourselves; that being, Moi. Furthermore, I...", but he stops right there when he sees Veruca, instantly becoming smitten with her, and he immediately starts flirting with her, but she just tells him to buzz off and threatens to punch him. Even so, he still turns to Cherry happily and says to her in a not-really-a-whisper, "I don't know about you, but I can hear ze wedding bells ringing already, no?" (remember that Marvin is French here), before Cherry moves on to her usual bit of giving commentary before the next child arrives.

Next, Miranda's introductory number would probably come before Mike Teavee's, but it would definitely come after Marvin's. A lot of the number would actually sort of be inspired by/be a shout-out to Matilda the Musical, because Miranda's first song would sort of be this mix of a twisted Alma Mater song, and "The Hammer" (complete with there being brief moments in the song where Miranda almost loses it), her talking about she also found the ticket by accident and truly doesn't want to go on the tour, but figures she might as well go because it may be worth some educational value (the song would also probably have some inspiration and cues from the “Ascot Gavotte” from My Fair Lady, and the “Fidelity Fiduciary Bank” from Mary Poppins, in terms of how the song sounds extremely stuffy). We would also be introduced to her with seeing Cherry Sunday in what's supposed to be a study in Miranda's parents' manor, but after she says her first line ("Jerry, I'm in England!" or "I'm in England again, Jerry!" if Veruca is still English and not Russian), a thunderclap is heard (complete with a lightning effect), and she immediately says "no, I'm not in Transylvania" or something to that effect, and before Miranda's song begins properly, we can see her sitting in a chair and reading a large book, with the book obscuring her face until she puts it down, and we finally see her face, and the song begins properly shortly after that (with Cherry looking freaked out and forcing herself to keep smiling throughout the whole song). Needless to say it would probably have the most downbeat parts out of all the Bratty Kids introductory songs.

Right before Miranda arrives on the red carpet, another thunder and lightning effect happens, and Jerry asks if it's going to rain, before Cherry corrects him and says that it means that Miranda Mary Piker is here (though, as a callback, she kind of sounds a little nervous when she says it). Just as Cherry asks how Miranda is feeling and if there's anything she wants to say, Miranda grabs the microphone out of her hand, and goes on a somewhat long statement about how she's not excited about this tour at all and how she won't enjoy a single nano-second of it, and says that even though she's just met them in person and all of them haven't arrived yet, she hates her fellow tour members already and doesn't plan on making friends with anyone, and she wishes to get the day over and done with so that she can get back to her studies. She ends the statement with a somewhat curt "Thank you", and hands the microphone back to a somewhat stunned Cherry, who regains composure a few seconds later and goes back to normal.

That's sort of it with their roles in Act 1, but in Act 2, I have an idea which would remedy being able to have both "Juicy" and "When Willy Met Oompa", by placing the latter after the former during the next room they're in (the one where Marvin Prune meets his fate), and still have enough time for Marvin himself to have his own Oompa Loompa song.

Now, the endgame I came up with my version of Marvin in my own is sort of inspired by Jimmy-C-Lombardo's version, with a few changes: https://www.deviantart.com/jimmy-c-lombardo/art/Marvin-Prune-and-the-Perry-Plum-Faeries-427902555 The room they visit is sort of like the one in that fan chapter, but the room they're visiting is an almost rainforest-like greenhouse/garden, in which Wonka houses certain plants he uses for ingredients for many of his confections by extracting certain parts of the plant which are safe to use, as well as extracting the essence and nullifying the effects of the plant for the parts which aren't completely safe, which is used for stuff like sour candy. The Perry-Plum Fairies are still there, but Marvin sneaks off not just to catch a closer glimpse at them, but to also snag one as a gift for Veruca, so that she'll finally love him (as you can see, Marvin claims that he's thinking about Veruca, but really, he's mostly thinking about how he'll be rewarded by Veruca, and he also wants to show off that no creature on Earth can find his looks irresistible, be it man, beast, or fairfolk). When he gets sprayed with the Perry Plum Gas, he's sprayed by more than one fairy with it, and not only does he start to develop actual prunes on his body, but he also accidentally ends up falling into several of the different deadly plants, which cause him to literally break out in spots and stripes, start developing allergic reactions (including almost passing out and becoming short of breath), having a bit of his hair fall out, and, I apologize for the not-so-culturally sensitive pun, considering Marvin is French (though, Dahl probably would've used it, if he could), even starts croaking like a frog. He's escorted out of the room via wheelbarrow, taken to not only be plucked, but to be operated on because the effects of the plants could be deadly if treated right away. When we see him walk out of the factory, the prunes and stripes and spots are gone, but he now has several scars where the prunes once were, and the rest of the surgery to undo most of the effects of the plants and Perry Plum Gas was so intense, left his once-handsome face scarred and looking like a slightly less ugly version of the unmasked Phantom of the Opera (the stage musical, that is, but it's somewhat on both sides of his face), and Marvin is in complete hysterics about this, with him even having a paper bag with eyeholes over his head to hide his appearance (with him even slightly croaking in-between his sobs).

Now, how this would work for a retool of the musical, this is how I see it (it’d be similar to how I would portray it in my own upcoming retelling as I described above, but again, with some changes to suit the scene if it were in the musical): When they arrive at the Greenhouse Room, Wonka describes all of the different types plants to the group and how their effects can either be used to make candy or be very deadly, he of course goes over the Perry Plum Fairies (which are mostly represented as pink balls of light, like Tinker Bell in Peter Pan, except when behind a certain prop which has projections of the rest of what is supposed to be the rest of the greenhouse, partially in silhouette, which the actors can go can behind, which'll prove a key role here), and he even explains to the group about certain rare types of bees he keeps which help pollinate the plants, but are also dangerous if you upset them. After someone (most likely Miranda) asks if the Fairies have been brought over from this "supposed" Loompaland as well, Wonka answers her with a short backstory similar to that in the fan chapter (only, again, changed slightly), and Marvin then sees this as an opportunity to distract Wonka by asking how he exactly he got the Oompa Loompas to come work for him (we still have the line about how the Oompa Loompas are a “long-lost, ancient tribe”, but like the London show, it appears early and we don't get the full backstory, yet), and than begins "When Willy Met Oompa", as Marvin sneaks off to catch a Perry Plum Fairy in order to impress Veruca (hypothetically, he would go behind the prop which projects the rest of the Greenhouse, and in certain parts of the "When Willy Met Oompa" song, we would occasionally see funny background events with Marvin's attempts trying to catch a fairy, and accidentally ending up being chased by those deadly bees, sort of like that part with Henry D'Ysquith being chased by bees in "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder"). When the "When Willy Met Oompa" song is over, everyone finally notices that Marvin's run off, and we finally see him manage to get catch a fairy, but it spits Perry Plum Gas in his face, and soon other fairies do the same, and Marvin mentions how he got stung by three or four of those bees and stumbled through some of those exotic plants, causing Mr. Wonka to become worried, before Marvin starts showing symptoms and signs of what those things do, and as Marvin breaks out in prunes, stripes, spots and becomes more gross looking (through the magic of certain projections and stage effects, with some pantomime and shadow puppetry thrown in as well), the Oompa Loompas begin a song I would title "Tango de la Perry Plum Fairies" as Marvin somewhat dances alog with his own demise (sort of like "Veruca's Nutcracker Sweet"), while stumbling into even more deadly plants, before finally becoming exhausted and terribly sick, and collapses. We then see Marvin in a wheelbarrow (he's covered in a blanket, except for his arm, not only to leave how bad he looks up to the imagination, but to also give the grim feeling of seeing a dead, covered body being taken away in a stretcher, though we do still hear Marvin speak out somewhat, including him stretching his one arm out to Veruca as the wheelbarrow moves past her and he calls out to "Do not worry or mourn for me, mon amour!"), and Wonka orders the Oompa Loompas to operate on Marvin at once in order to try to save him, and Marvin is rolled offstage via wheelbarrow.

For Miranda's fate, it would basically be very similar to how it was originally going to be, mixed a little bit with the way I described it here: http://danguy96.tumblr.com/post/149509647497/charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-patchwork-fic Before you ask, the literal "laughing gas" is actually is a type of gas which helps run the machine, and the laughing is sort of a side effect of that (though, I was starting to think maybe Wonka could get a throwaway line about wondering if it was right to place the Spotty Powder Room right next to the Laffy Taffy Room, as a sort of reference to the actual candy). As to how it would work in the Musical, here's how I picture it: The tour group arrive at the Spotty Powder Room, and Wonka explains how the powder is made and what it's used for (making kids appear to be ill by giving them a fake fever and fake spots), and in this version Wonka explains that he's basically only going to sell them around certain parts of the school year, but that doesn't stop Miranda from branding him as being a "criminal", and this being her final bit of "evidence" that she uses to accuse Wonka of being an "assassin of the moral fabric of society". This is the final straw for Miranda, as she goes off on how "horrible" her day was, and how she's been "tossed around" the factory, humiliated and mocked, and, "worst of all", she's been "subjected to irritating song after irritating song from those little midgets!" (she does say that she "doesn't really mind" the possible demises of the other kids who've met their ends thus far, as she counts the possibility of them dying just mean that there's "just a few less maggots in the world" now). Full of rage, she decides to take matters into her own hands, and grabs her father's cane in order to use it and her own strength to destroy the Spotty Powder machine. As she goes down into Spotty Powder Machine room (the separation between the main Spotty Powder Room and the room where the machine is located is represented as a "see-through door", which is how the tour group sees Miranda's fate instead of just hearing screams, and the Spotty Powder Machine itself is this somewhat large prop with a hole like a gaping maw near the back of the stage or upstage itself), and starts whacking at all the sputtering pipes in the room, she eventually gets a face full of the literal "laughing gas" like substance, which thus begins her song number (I'm not sure what it be like or what genre it would be, and I'm up for any suggestions, but I'm thinking that since Miranda's intro song would sort of be a mix between an Alma Mater song and "The Hammer" from Matilda the Musical, her demise song could be something of a twisted school sports cheer song, like a messed-up answer to "Grand Old Ivy" from "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", cheering about how Miranda deserves to be ground into powder, how she was a cold bully and how her parents are also to blame for her becoming such a "no fun allowed" little tyrant, and, just for fun, in between her uncontrollable laughter, she yells out to the Oompa Loompas to stop singing and help her). As Miranda's song comes to an close, she falls down into the opening of the Spotty Powder Machine, with her father soon following behind her as he tries to save her, much like how Veruca's father shared his daughter's unknown fate. After the song, Wonka then assures them that there may be a chance that they'll be okay if they're just stuck in the tube which leads to the part of the machine where the Spotty Powder is actually ground, and that the Oompa Loompas will "probably" be able to get them out, and that they should just move on with the tour for now. Also, before Miranda storms off into the machine's room, I would love it if there were a joke when after Miranda's dad says that Wonka could "ruin the school systems of countries all over the world", Wonka replies with, "Believe me, at the current rate and direction the modern world is going, they don't need my help with that." I just think it'd be pretty funny. I was thinking the staging of the Spotty Powder Machine being this sort of "maw" upstage which Miranda falls into could be similar to something like a mix between Mrs. Lovett being thrown in the oven in productions of Sweeney Todd, and how the big version of Audrey II had people get eaten by it (I just have the image of Miranda kicking her legs as she gets "eaten" by the machine in the final parts of the song). It may be similar to Veruca's father's demise, but I kind of have it set in both my retelling and the hypothetical retool of the musical that Mr. Piker seems to be on board with Miranda on doing something, but he just wants to report Wonka to the authorities and courts after the tour with “a very strong letter”, while Miranda wants to take things into her own hands (and says that she’ll see to it that Wonka’s factory is demolished, and even implies she’ll try to find a way to have have him executed via hanging), so she grabs her father's cane, and marches into the machine room (sort of showing how she's "surpassing" her parents in her extremism, and as she storms into the room her father cries out "Miranda, please, let the adults handle this!", with her shouting back "I AM an adult!").

That’s all for how I would use Miranda and Marvin in the musical. Now, at last, here's the hypothetical list of musical numbers in my dream retool of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical, and how both Acts would play out:

Act 1

- Overture (containing bits of the overture from the 1971 film, but with the “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket” part probably being reworked as “Don’Cha Pinch Me, Charlie”, as well as songs like "Simply Second Nature", "The Amazing Tale of Willy Wonka", a bit of the 1971 Oompa Loompa song, "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen", among others)/"Creation Overture" (some of the original stuff from that will still exist in some form)

- "The Candy Man” - Willy Wonka and the Ensemble

It and the Creation Overture are sort of mixed a little bit, but while Wonka does sing a bit of this, we actually don't physically see him onstage or even hear him say his name, and even he lampshades how the audience knows who he is, but chastises them for being impatient and how they "just have to wait, like everyone else", which is even funnier if you already know he's the Tramp character. It’d sort of be like the extended version of “Arabian Nights” from the musical version of Aladdin, where the Genie appears in the opening, but he doesn’t make his “official” appearance until near the end of the first act.

- "Almost Nearly Perfect" - Charlie Bucket

While "Candy Man" does start off the show, I think it would be important to re-include this number, though before it starts, Charlie strikes up a small conversation with "The Tramp" (who is named "Mr. Know" here, which, as you could guess, is a play on the first four letters of his last name, backwards, and it’s also another thing from “The Golden Ticket” which I borrowed), who asks Charlie if he built that clubhouse in the junkyard, which is one of the first clues as to why Wonka secretly chooses Charlie to be his successor.

- "The Amazingly Fantastical History of Mr. Willy Wonka" - Grandpa Joe and the Other Grandparents

I wanted to include this instead of "Willy Wonka! Willy Wonka!" or “Charlie, You and I”, because it does the job of being exposition a lot better, it gives the other grandparents a bigger role, and the tale of Prince Pondicherry is good foreshadowing to what happens to those who ignore Wonka’s warnings.

- "A Letter from Charlie Bucket" - Charlie Bucket, Mr. Bucket, Mrs. Bucket, the Grandparents

As I said before, even though this retool would probably have a couple of shout-outs to the Gene Wilder film, Mr. Bucket would still be alive in my retool, and he actually would have an important moment or two with his son later on, along with his wife.

- "More of Him to Love" (Broadway Version) - Mrs. Gloop, Augustus Gloop, Mr. Gloop

Virtually unchanged from how it was performed in the original London and New York versions, though I sort feel that it would be more like the Broadway version in terms of both how it’s sung a bit more energetically and in terms of the choreography (I like it when it sort becomes like a cuckoo clock when Augustus starts singing), but the lyrics would be a bit more like the London version, complete with the small cameo by Mr. Gloop. I’m thinking that maybe all of the bratty kid’s intro songs won’t all be performed in a small TV set prop like in the London version, though, since my vision for Marvin Prune's song is kind like this big number with his parents and his "fans", as we’ll get to soon enough.

- "When Veruca Says" (Broadway Version) - Mr. Salt, Veruca Salt

I still don't know if Veruca and her father will be Russian or English (though, I will say I like the London version of this song more, mostly for how you can just imagine Mr. Salt’s exhaustion with Veruca, and how the child playing Veruca just has a so much energy displaying Veruca’s cute-yet-psycho attitude), but what I do know is that I have this idea where Charlie often goes from his house to visit "Mr. Know" at the garbage dump, and we switch from Charlie seeing the winners on his own TV with his family, and him and "Mr. Know" seeing the winners on “Mr. Know's” ramshackle TV, and this would also give more off a sense of time passing between the Golden Ticket findings, as well as Charlie and Wonka secretly getting to know each other.

- "The Double Bubble Duchess" - Mr. Beauregarde, Violet Beauregarde, Ensemble

I didn't know which one would be best to put in at first, “Double Bubble Duchess” or it’s Broadway replacement, “The Queen of Pop”. At first, I sort of ended up having to pick "Double Bubble Duchess", since I find it to be catchier than "Queen of Pop", and because it better showcases Violet’s motor-mouth bragging. On the other hand, I will admit that “Queen of Pop” has grown on me, so it probably depends on which I feel would be more suited.

- "(No One Quite Like) Marvin"/”C’est Marvin”- Marvin Prune, Mr. Prune, Mrs. Prune, and Marvin's "fans"/the Ensemble

It's a tentative title, but I just keep imagining Marvin's intro song being sort of like Gaston's song from Beauty and the Beast, and the title of the song sort of shows that. Hell, I’ve sort of been reworking the lyrics of Gaston’s song in my head to better fit Marvin, and I even picture both songs ending like the original extended version, the original demo, or the one in the BatB 2017 remake (I was even picturing Marvin also claiming that he can “make up these endless refrains”, when really his parents started up the song to begin with to convince him to go on the tour, much like in the 2017 version of “Gaston”), with it ending with some of Marvin’s “fans” trying to spell his name, but some of them are sort of idiots, and end up giving up to sing the last “Marvin!” in the song (though, I would also kind of like it to have a few elements of “C’est Moi” from Camelot in it as well, since it’s another kind of “I Am Great” Song). I was also thinking it’d be a bit “glam rock-ish” as well in some bits.

- "Miranda's Alma Mater" - Miranda Mary Piker, with Mr. and Mrs. Piker and the Ensemble singing certain parts

Again, it's a working title, but I still have the idea of Miranda Mary Piker's intro song sounding like a twisted school Alma Mater anthem, mixed with "The Hammer" from Matilda the Musical, complete with a bit of rhythmic gymnastics near the end, with a riding crop of hers becoming a gymnastic ribbon (and again, mixed with some of the stuffiness of “The Ascot Gavette” and “Fidelity Fiduciary Bank”, with maybe Miranda even having a little “talk-singing” in certain places, à la how the actor playing Henry Higgins usually “talk-sings” in productions of “My Fair Lady”).

- "It's Teavee Time!" - Mrs. Teavee, Mike Teavee

Again, I at first sort of didn’t really know if should’ve gone with “It’s Teavee Time!” or it’s Broadway replacement, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?”, but I soon decided on "It's Teavee Time!", since it's more connected to Mike and his family’s situation than the other song.

- "If Your Mother/Father Were Here" (Broadway Version) - Mr. Bucket and Mrs. Bucket

Before the song begins, Mr. Bucket has a short talk with Charlie about how he also had high hopes and dreams with becoming a renowned inventor, much like how Charlie had high hopes of winning a Golden Ticket, but he learned how hard real life was, but he says that it was still worth it because he fell in love with Mrs. Bucket, had Charlie with her, and even though he had to trade his big dream for a smaller one, he's still happy because of his family, and he still has hope that things will get better soon. It's also revealed in this scene and in the song that Charlie's dad's name is actually "Charles" (Grandpa Joe says to Mr. Bucket, right before he talks to Charlie, "before I knew my grandson, I knew another boy named Charlie who was just as imaginative and creative as he was, and who also just as big a dreamer as he was, and I think he needs to talk to his son"), and that Mrs. Bucket's name is actually "Charlotte" (when Mrs. Bucket comes in, Mr. Bucket calls her "Lottie", which is obviously short for Charlotte), and I think this would be pretty clever.

- “Don'cha Pinch Me Charlie" - Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Grandparents, Mr. Bucket, Mrs. Bucket, Ensemble

No disrespect to "I've Got a Golden Ticket" (which I personally think was done a bit better in the Broadway retool than it was in the Gene Wilder film, mostly, because it’s sung better, and the lyrics and scenario are changed which makes it more clear that while Charlie has a literal Golden Ticket, Grandpa Joe has a metaphorical one), but I just think “Doncha’ Pinch Me Charlie” is more fun, and I just love how the entirety of the Bucket family eventually joins in, with the other three grandparents even getting out of bed as well.

-"It Must Be Believed to Be Seen" (Broadway Version) - Willy Wonka, Ensemble

Practically unchanged from both versions, though the lyrics would basically be the London version’s, while a chorus would join Wonka in finishing up the song like in the Broadway version, and I would sort of like it near the end of the song, the Factory sort of “comes back to life” by lighting up and becoming more colorful. Also, right before the part where Wonka gives the last "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen", the ensemble/crowd form a large "W", and Wonka parts the crowd just when he calls out the Golden Ticket winners' names, and it ends with the usual "Do come in" as he slams the doors to the factory.

Act 2

- Entr'acte (consists of "The Candy Man", "The Amazingly Fantastical History of Willy Wonka", snippets from each of the bratty kids' intro songs, “If Your Mother/Father Were Here”, "Don'Cha Pinch Me, Charlie”, "It Must Be Believed to Be Seen", and, finally "A Little Me", and, like the London version, Wonka rises out of the conductor's pit on a platform to reveal that he was conducting the Entr'acte in a Looney Tunes-esque fashion)

- "Strike That! Reverse It!" (Broadway Version) - Willy Wonka, Ensemble

Pretty much similar to both the London and New York versions, but it obviously adds Marvin and Miranda, with Marvin's part including him continuing the running gag of him flirting with Veruca, and Wonka asking him if he could do any of the stuff he's been known for bragging for, but Marvin "coincidentally" feels like he has some back pain and "mild indigestion", while Miranda's part includes Wonka almost mistaking her parents for her "grandparents", and Miranda basically filling in the singing part of her portion with another small rant about how she doesn't plan on being excited about this tour, and how she knows Wonka is gonna stealthily insult her like the other kids, leaving Wonka silent for a few seconds, until he says, "well, you're certainly going to be a barrel of laughs", and even mutters "going to grow up to be a real Maggie Thatcher, that one is", before moving on.

-"Simply Second Nature" - Willy Wonka, Ensemble

I wanted to re-include this, because it humanizes Willy Wonka and explains his philosophy a bit more, and I think "Pure Imagination" works better as an Eleven O'Clock number in this show.

- "The Oompa Loompa Song" and "Auf Wiedersehen Augustus Gloop" - Willy Wonka and The Oompa-Loompas

I decided on combining both the London and New York versions, by starting it off with the Oompa-Loompas’ recurring song from the '71 film, like the New York version, and then having the rest of the song be like how it was in London, complete with the big tap-dance number ending it. An example of what I mean is shown here.

-"Juicy!" - The Oompa-Loompas, Willy Wonka, and Mr. Beauregarde

Nothing really much changes from the London version, but there may be some dialogue from the New York version leading up to it, but Violet still has a demise song, and I was even thinking that as a little background joke, Marvin Prune would kind of start tapping his feet and sort of enjoy the song a little, but when Violet is used as a disco ball, he gets swept up in the heat of the moment, grabs Veruca, and drags her out to a part of the "dance floor" to dance with her, much to Veruca's annoyance, complete with a rose in his mouth as a gag (though, he and everyone else are brought back to reality when Violet explodes, though Wonka does try to assure the tour group that the Oompa-Loompas with manage to patch her back together, even if she may not be completely normal after being literally stitched back together).

- "When Willy Met Oompa" - Willy Wonka and The Oompa-Loompas

As I said before, I would have it that this song would come after "Juicy!", and that it would be triggered by Marvin Prune asking Wonka about how exactly he met the Oompa Loompas, all as a way to distract Wonka so that Marvin can catch a Perry Plum Fairy to impress Veruca. I would also like to mention that this song was supposed to be in the London version as well, but it was dropped during rehearsals, but reinstated into the Broadway version.

- "Tango de la Perry Plum Fairy" - Marvin Prune, the Oompa-Loompas

I'm sure you'll recall the idea for this song, and how it would be this big pesudo-romantic tango number, which just keep getting faster and faster until Marvin passes out from sickness and exhaustion, ending with a big "Ole!" from the Oompa Loompas, and Marvin is carted away in a wheelbarrow, while being covered in a blanket to hide his deformity. Also, I would like to mention, that in my version of the show, Marvin and Miranda are probably going to be the only kids on the tour to bring both of their parents.

- "Veruca's Nutcracker Sweet" (Broadway Version and a Broadway Bootleg with the Ballet) – Veruca and The Oompa-Loompas/The Squirrels

Nothing much is changed from the London version, but if Veruca is Russian, I would like to combine the full London lyrics, and maybe include that little part near the end which sounds like a Russian dance, as well as maybe some bits of the ballet from the New York version, but Veruca and father (and possibly her mother as well, since I am planning on some of the kids to bring both of their parents in this retool) still go down a chute, and Veruca isn't torn apart (I know that it turns out that she still cries out to her father for help off-stage, even though she’s just been decapitated, and that Wonka said that the Oompas will patch her up because “they’re a whiz with a gluestick”, but still, what the hell was up with that?), and a bit of dialogue from the book is used as well, with Veruca listing off her pets before she goes in. Also, near the end, I was thinking of changing the final verse a bit to make it a bit foreboding, and have it be "Veruca Salt, the wicked witch, will soon develop a nasty itch/We'll soon hear the twit screeching 'MINE, ALL MINE', as she burns down below where the sun don't shine!!" (I decided to leave out the "mauled by squirrels" thing, but I did add in a reminder that she's on her way to the furnace, though, Wonka says that on Tuesday it’s “lit only every other hour... though I’m not exactly sure which hours it’s lit”).

- "The Spotty Powder Cheer" - Miranda Mary Piker and The Oompa Loompas

As I said before I thought it would be funny if her introduction song would be somewhat stuffy, uptight Alma Mater song, while her demise song would be some energetic, twisted school cheer/fight song that's usually found at sporting events, mixed a bit with a sort of maniacal counterpart to “Grand Old Ivy”. It also sort of ends like both the end of the reprise of “Brimstone Stone and Treacle” from the Mary Poppins musical as well as how Mrs. Lovett meets her end in Sweeney Todd (a character disappears through a prop and, as was the case of “Brimstone and Treacle”, a fog machine is used for the special effects).

- "Vidiots” (Broadway Version) - The Oompa-Loompas, Mike, Willy Wonka, Mrs. Teavee

It's pretty much unchanged from the London show, but I was thinking of combining lyrics from both the London version, and the New York retool, which uses some verses from the original Oompa Loompa song for Mike in the original book.

- "Pure Imagination" (Broadway Version, but it’s heavily retooled to take place when they enter the Chocolate Room) - Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket

I decided on making "Pure Imagination" the Eleven O' Clock number again, because while I do like "The View From Here", it just doesn't have the same impact as "Pure Imagination" did, and I still think "Simply Second Nature" does a better job explaining Wonka's philosophy. Plus, I think it’s worth it to save up such an iconic song until near the very end.

- "A Little Me" - Willy Wonka, Charlie Bucket, The Oompa-Loompas, Mr. Bucket, Mrs. Bucket, Grandpa Joe and the rest of the Grandparents

I was thinking on having this number not happen immediately after "Pure Imagination", in order to pace things better, as well as explain the small plot-hole of how Charlie's parents and grandparents were brought to the factory, and maybe even learn about the kids' fates (we don’t really see them onstage, but in a somewhat clever callback to Charlie's time with "Mr. Know", Wonka and Charlie use a TV-like device to tune into Cherry and Jerry talking about the kids and how some of them have been deformed, been literally patched back together in Violet's case, and, in Miranda's case, have been driven insane into a perpetually laughing dolt, and we hear them all off-stage, but that's if I go with that, because I have mixed feelings on even my own idea).

-"It Must Be Believed to be Seen (finale reprise)"- Willy Wonka

Pretty much almost completely unchanged from the London version, and I feel ending things on a mysterious, yet somewhat optimistic reprise of Wonka's act one finale song is much more charming than ending it with a reprise of "Strike That, Reverse It", like what the New York show originally did, or just ending it on a somewhat less climatic note like what happened after the Previews.

Though, I do have this thought in my head which thinks that maybe there could be something like the Peter Pan musical, in that it's set as distant finale epilogue when Charlie is much older (his grandparents are still alive, thanks to Wonka's Wonka-Vite, which has better results than how it did in Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and I think all four of them would still sort of be willing to take it to see their little Charlie grow-up as Wonka's apprentice). Charlie goes to check up on Mr. Wonka in his office one day, but finds that Mr. Wonka is gone, leaving a letter that says he's basically taught him everything he knows, so now he must go, but says that isn't the end, for they "will meet again one day", which then leads to the reprise of “It Must Be Believed to Be Seen”. I don’t know, because this retool already seems like it would be pretty long, and I may save this idea as epilogue for my own fanfiction retelling of the story, but I was just trying to solve the issue of Wonka making Charlie the owner of the Factory right then and there, as opposed to at least showing Charlie some of the ropes before taking off (I was even thinking Adult!Charlie could whistle a brief reprise of “The Candy Man” before the “It Must Be Believed to be Seen” reprise). Oh well, I still kind of like the idea, and I just kind of would like this show to sort of end with more of a bang with closure. I hope you don’t mind those ideas.

And then we would have the usual bows music, combining elements from the bows of both the London and New York versions, though I think that each kid and their parents should bow separately in their own way, with the music changing slightly to fit each family's theme when each have their own turn to bow (for example, the bows music briefly sounds like German folk music when Augustus and his family give their bows, Marvin comes into the bows rather flamboyantly as the music changes to have French sounding accordions and violins, Veruca takes a bow like ballerina, Miranda curtseys, etc.), and, like the New York version, the bows end with a small, final reprise of the "The Candy Man", thus finally ending the show, and then the outro music plays.

I know that's a lot to read, but I would still like your thoughts on all of it, and I hope that it at least gives you something to imagine for a dream production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I hope you don't think it's too overstuffed, because there's just so much stuff you can do with a story like this, and I hope things won't get too carried away with the added stuff. Again, tell me what you think, and I hope you all liked my ideas, and I hope you’ll enjoy for future upcoming project with my retelling the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory itself.

@adventures-of-the-candy-man, @mask131, @jamesandtheblog, @fantastic-nonsense, @everythingwonka, and @ everyone else is or might be interested in this, I hope you like it, and I would very much appreciate feedback, comments, likes, and reblogs, if you would be willing to do so.

#Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical #Charlie and the Chocolate Factory #Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory #Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Broadway #Charlie and the Chocolate Factory West End #musical theatre #Just spitballing ideas #I hope you enjoy #Roald Dahl

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