Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

A form of literature candy, it gives a sugar rush with its metaphors and flamboyant world. Initially trying to acclimatize to the characters such as the De La Crèmes, the places such as Peppertown, Metopia, and the unrelenting alliteration, is almost too much. Yet it is worth the effort to fully immerse oneself into this fashionable fictional world.

In Modelland, the exclusive, mysterious place on top of the mountain, some recognizable facts are worn. Banks skillfully takes the reader through a fantastical journey reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In this book Smizes not chocolate bars are key to life changing adventure.

15-year-old whipped cream loving Tookie De La Crème is the female Charlie; though she comes from a less loving family. A lonely Forgetta-Girl, she longs to become memorable. But not even her untamed hair, mismatched eyes, large forehead and gawky body can make her stand out from the crowd. Surprisingly on the Day of Discovery or T-DOD, she, not her perfect sister Myraccle, is chosen to become a Bella and a potential Intoxibella (supermodel).

The plot echoes a series of America’s Next Top Model, the show former supermodel and Talk Show host Banks created, which is now shown in 170 countries. The worldliness of Banks’ personal experience is also evident in the book with a plurality of cultures featured.

In this luminescent world of Thigh High Boot Camp, Catwalk Corridor, CaraCaraCara, The OohAh! Spa; Flashback Females and Manattack; where Teachers are Gurus, Servants are Mannecants, Nurses are Purses on skates, and time is told by shades of colour, there is much to learn and experience. This includes first love for Tookie who encounters the charming Bravo.

But it is not all fun in the Dorms and M Building; there is the threat of Ci-L and the Belladonna, and the danger of the Diabolical Divide and diabolically bitchy Bellas such as Zarpessa. Not once will Tookie and her new found friends bid to escape ironically while her mother and sister try to break into Modelland via the Pilgrim Passage.

But the challenges Tookie faces are worth it; they make her into a Rememba-girl rather than breaking her. Banks uses Tookie as an exemplar of teen angst and no doubt builds on her experience running the TZONE Foundation to highlight teen insecurity, self-harming, and eating disorders.

Though aimed at teenagers, the book has wide appeal with its insight into the world of fashion, and keen observations on the world’s obsession with fashion and limited conceptions of beauty, a cause that Banks has dedicated herself to redefining. Indeed, fans will see a lot of Banks’ personality in the book as well as fashion iconography in the form ‘Evanjalinda’ and ‘Bevjo’.

Havard Business School graduate Banks has crafted a greatly detailed story with believable characters and a far from predictable plot. Modelland would make a great film and with Bankable productions, Banks’ production company, it may be on the cards. In the meantime, the sequel in this trilogy is one to watch out for.

Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Mudlark Theater Company continues its 7th season with Roald Dahl’s CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, a candy-coated adventure that is as sinister as it is sweet. Directed by Associate Artistic Director Janna Sobel, CHARLIE finishes its two-weekend run this Friday, Dec. 9 through Sunday, Dec. 11, at The House Theater, 1417 Hinman Ave., in Evanston. CHARLIE continues with 7:30 p.m. shows on Friday and Saturday and another 6 p.m. show on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for children and students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online at www.mudlarktheater.org.

Sobel says she and Mudlark Artistic Director Andrew Biliter and Managing Director Michael Miro had been looking for the right space to stage a production of CHARLIE for quite some time. “Then we actually found one that was just right under our noses,” she says, explaining that the theater is in the lower level of the Evanston church building where the children’s theater company’s office and rehearsal space is located. “It’s exciting because it actually is exactly what we wanted.” The concept was to break down the “fourth wall” for an environmental production that puts audience members directly at the center of the action. “It really looks like the inside of a factory and has this industrial, urban feel to it.”

As Willy Wonka, Chicago actor and improviser Jeff Rukes leads a cast of 25 young Mudlark actors through the delightfully dark tale of fantasy and industry. “Willy Wonka has to be this very dapper dandy and genteel gentleman, but at the same time sinister and diabolical. It’s a difficult role and has been played by all the best actors. I was thrilled to get Jeff for the part.” But it’s the young actors who get the greatest workout of the production, sliding in, on and off stage as the sticky fable of privilege and poverty unfolds. “It becomes a very dynamic, almost athletic piece,” Sobel adds. “I really love the way that we enter the space with the audience and invite them into the experience.”

About Mudlark Theater Company

Mudlark Theater Company is dedicated to providing children ages 8 to 18 with hands-on acting and backstage experiences, and audiences of all ages with entertaining theater. Founded by Amy Eaton in 2005 on the belief that children are capable of creating compelling, honest, laugh-out-loud funny performances, Mudlark offers young artists a safe, challenging environment in which to hone their skills. More information is available at www.mudlarktheater.org.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

 

Is CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY headed for the West End? According to The Daily Mail, director Sam Mendes is readying the show for a 2013 West End bow at the London Palladium, pending negotiations with Warner Brothers.




In the Warner Bros film, based on Roald Dahl's book, eccentric candy manufacturer Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) has announced a contest in which five lucky winners of golden tickets hidden in Wonka Bars will be taken on a tour of the Wonka Factory. Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) finds the last golden ticket, and chooses to bring his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) to the factory, while the other four spoilt children bring their parents. The golden ticket winners and company are taken on a magical tour of the factory, complete with yummy candy, edible grass, chocolate waterfalls and Oompa-Loompas. Charlie watches the other children abuse Willy Wonka's inventions, with unfortunate consequences for them, so that by the end of the tour, he's the only one left and is awarded the ultimate prize - keys to the Wonka Factory.

Work has already begun on the stage adaptation: Mark Thompson is designing the factory, and Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are writing the music. David Greig penned the libretto. Mendes plans to rehearse in the early months of 2013 and open in the spring.