Roald Dahl wrote stories about children that were not for children to read. A writer who had lots of problems and a life that wasn't always kind, Dahl was often dark and bitter, and children who misbehaved could be subjected to awful punishments. But Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock, with a fine cast of singers and a host of talented technicians, have transformed Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" into "The Golden Ticket," a bright, witty opera that had its world premiere last night on the Opera Theatre of St. Louis' stage at the Loretto-Hilton Center. It will be repeated five times before it closes on June 26. It also is scheduled to be produced in Ireland as part of the Wexford Opera season in October.
Ash's music and Sturrock's libretto, brought to life by Timothy Redmond and members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and directed for the stage by James Robinson, artistic director of OTSL, were strong, definitely contemporary and a good fit with Dahl's writing style. And this being the 21st century, we had strong, fascinating visual images through the video design of Greg Emetaz, making his OTSL debut with movement, color and brightness–from rivers of chocolate to mountains of jelly beans–that were almost the ultimate eye candy.
The more traditional tech work, sets, costumes and lighting, were exquisite, especially the costumes of Martin Pakledinaz, who certainly figured out what an Oompa Loompa should wear and the proper look for a spoiled brat like Veruca Salt. Everything he designed was just right. Bruno Schwengl's set was led by the moving, four-person bed and some wonderful lettering that simply looked great and needed no reason. I thought the cage that carried Willy and Charlie up, up, up to the Heavyside Layer (oops, that's a different show) was a little overkill, and the four stagehands a rather obvious distraction. Christopher Akerlind, lighting designer for "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Eugene Onegin" in addition to "Ticket," has been lighting OTSL productions for 20 years, making everything look right while keeping a certain hard-to-define OTSL look to the stage.
Robinson's direction was solid, about as simple as you can get with a stage full of Oompah Loompas and a mixture of children and adults. He was well-focused and found the humor in Sturrock's libretto. It may be the result of a life in the theater, but the opening scene of umbrella-carrying singers, brought a memory flash of the opening scene in "My Fair Lady," and Willy Wonka himself, a fine performance by Daniel Okulitch, brought many thoughts of Harold Hill and "Music Man."
Okulitch, a rich bass-baritone, was a fine, bright Willy, the tour guide through Candyland, and young Michael Kepler Meo was a delight as Charlie and a youngster with a great deal of presence. The grandparents, a wonderful conceit by the authors and a triumph of humorous staging by Robinson, were Kristin Clayton, Mary Ann McCormick, Oren Gradus and Frank Kelley, with Kelley first among equals as Grandpa Joe. Clayton doubled as Mrs. Gloop, mother of the gluttonous Augustus (Andrew Drost); McCormick also was Mrs. Teavee, mother of the delinquent Mike (David Trudgen); and Oren Gradus doubled as Mr. Beauregard, in a cowboy suit of Hook 'em Horns orange, as father to rambunctious redhead Tracy Dahl, a Violet who expressed every emotion but subtle and was busily chewing gum (as her part calls for) every time I glanced in her direction.
Jennifer Rivera was all kinds of fun as Veruca Salt, so spoiled she was only a day away from becoming aromatic, and David Kravitz was a delight as her father.
There's good humor and lots of high-tech wizardry on display at "The Golden Ticket." The music is not memorable, but the production works.
"The Golden Ticket," an Opera Theatre of St. Louis production at the Loretto-Hilton Center, through June 26
–Joe