TH EATER
BY ANNA G RACE
A MODERN TWIST ON A CANDY CLASSIC
Cottage Theatre stages fun, non-horrifying Willy Wonka
“I
hope you don’t start screaming in the middle
of it,” my son says, almost as an afterthought
as we walk into the theater. Me too.
Roald Dahl’s cautionary tale of greed,
gluttony and bad parenting scares the snot
out of me, and after two radically unsuccess-
ful attempts by my parents to help me enjoy the film
ended in fits of horrified hysteria, we all happily gave up.
C O MEDY
And so long as nobody ever mentions Gene Wilder I’m
perfectly fine.
My children, on the other hand, have both read Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory independently as part of this
year’s Oregon Battle of the Books. They discuss the
motivations of Augustus Gloop, debate how long Violet
Beauregarde would be able to chew a particular piece of
gum and run around the house pretending to be Oompa
Loompas when they want to annoy their momma.
We took our seats with wildly differing expectations.
Director Janet Rust has taken Dahl’s directive to heart
and asks the audience to lean heavily on their own
imaginations. Judicious use of projections and sound
effects inspired by Rube Goldberg set the mood without
overwhelming the senses. Rust’s set is wonderfully creative,
suggestive of chocolate rivers rather than threatening with
them. Actors are asked to act rather than rely on mechanical
devices to help them fly or expand into a blueberry.
The children who make up the majority of the cast are
delightful. George Schroeder is a wonderful Charlie
Bucket. Mathew Goes, Megan Schneider, Mandy
Conforth and Alayna Pearson were perfectly bratty as the
golden ticket holders. Several members of the children’s
chorus stand out as well. My daughter and I particularly
liked the squirrels.
Rust does a nice job of highlighting the adult humor as
well. Keith Kessler makes a soulful Grandpa Joe, and
Shannon Coltrane is lovely as Mrs. Bucket. Angela
Pearson, Karen Warren Snyder and Mandy Conforth
exhibit the foibles of bad parenting brilliantly.
Willy Wonka is played as a woman by Tracy Nygard.
She is authoritative without that possibly-a-really-creepy-
dictator feel. In short, she seems exactly like the sort of
oddball genius that could create a candy empire.
This adaptation of the story has been updated. Mike
Teevee (played as Mika in this production by Megan
Schneider) has added cell phones and a game boy to his
addiction, with his mother trailing along, texting
constantly. I enjoyed the updates and found them funny
but my purist son took issue with the changes.
Rarely do my children and I agree on the worth of a
play, yet this was the first of many, many shows that
we’ve been to as a family where we all sat spellbound.
Willy Wonka truly is a show for the whole family. ■
Willy Wonka runs 8 pm, Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 pm, Sundays through
Dec. 23, at the Cottage Theatre, $16-$21.
BY RICK LE V IN
CHRONIC COMEDY
FOR A CAUSE
Comedian Ngaio Bealum hashes through ganja giggles
and medical Mary Jane
Q
uestion: How many stoners does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: Ask
Ngaio Bealum.
Beaulum, perhaps the Northwest’s premiere perpetrator of high-times
comedy, is headlining the 8 pm Thursday, Dec. 6, “Cannabis Comedy
Night” at WOW Hall, a fundraiser and evening of huffs and hee-haws
sponsored by Northwest Alternative Health, an outfit supporting the rights
of patients to get their Oregon medical marijuana cards.
According to Bealum, his brand of humor has broad appeal. “The beauty of cannabis
culture is that weed is a subculture of every other culture,” says the comic, who’s opened
for the likes of Dave Chappelle and Doug Benson.
It does happen, Bealum admits, that some folks get so high they’re more confused
than amused by the punch lines. “A blunt or two usually doesn’t knock people out,” he
says, “but every once in a while it seems like the whole crowd is overmedicated on
edibles and has a hard time paying attention. The thing is, you have to keep stoners
interested, or they lose focus.”
Bealum says that the recent legalization of marijuana in Washington state is
“awesome,” and he has high hopes that Oregon and California will follow suit
eventually. “Weed should be legal,” he says. “We are finally starting to reach the turning
point in the war against the War on Some Drugs. Taxing and regulating marijuana not
only saves the state money, it generates income and jobs. Local, sustainable jobs,”
Bealum adds. ■
eugeneweekly.com • December 21, 2012
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