Atlanta Opera to bring on Willy Wonka next season
AO hopes “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will be a golden ticket
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The Atlanta Opera held a press conference yesterday to announce its 2011-2012 season (2010-2011, we hardly knew ya?). It all looks fantastic, but we’re especially intrigued by plans for a production of The Golden Ticket, an opera version of Roald Dahl’s children’s book Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. The production has a score by American composer Peter Ash (who will also conduct the AO orchestra for the show) and will use tons of high-tech video projections for the special effects.
All the familiar elements of the classic story will be there: the chocolate river, a chorus of Oompah-Loompahs, Willy Wonka, Mike Teavee, Veruca Salt (the ultimate diva?), Violet Beauregard, Augustus Gloop. Most of the golden ticket winners are played by adults, but AO Director Dennis Hanthorn says that a nationwide search will be conducted for a child singer to play Charlie (Wow, life really does imitate art).