Ever since childhood I, like Charlie, get excited when unwrapping a chocolate bar. Last Wednesday I got the chance to unwrap a whole chocolate factory, not just any factory, but Willy Wonka’s.

In June, along with colleagues from Wexford Festival Opera, I travelled to St. Louis, MO, USA to join our partners at Opera Theatre St Louis (http://www.opera-stl.org) to see the world première of The Golden Ticket by Peter Ash and Donald Sturrock, based on Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Chairman of Wexford Festival Opera grabs the chocolate

Sitting down in the theatre in St. Louis just before curtain up I didn’t really know what to expect.  I wasn’t concerned about the idea of a story perceived to be for children becoming an opera, bearing in mind Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel being presented at Glyndebourne in their 2010 season and Rossini’s La Cenerentola presented at Wexford in 1956. My concern was how such a fantastical book, upon which two block busting films were based, would translate to the stage.  Would the production be so complex and thus over-shadow the music or would the production fail in creating a fantasy?

I was not disappointed.  James Robinson’s production designed by Bruno Schwengl with costume and lighting design by Martin Pakledinaz and Christopher Akerlind was mesmerising. From the dark and desolate opening scenes through to the fantastical set pieces in the Chocolate Factory where the four ‘bad’ children meet their anticipated demise, I and the rest of the audience were enthralled. The highlight of the opera for me, was 11-year-old treble Michael Kepler Meo’s interpretation of the role of protagonist Charlie Bucket.  Audiences in Wexford are going to adore Michael.

Back to last Wednesday night; well, four articulated trucks wound their way through the narrow streets of Wexford and with the usual difficulty finally backed up to the loading dock at the rear of the stage in the Opera House.  WFO Technical Director David Stuttard and WOH Technical Manager Michael Lonergan and their team opened the doors of the shipping containers to reveal a world of magic.

Unloading a Chocolate Factory (veteran backstage volunteer Vivian Crofton is on the right, wearing his trademark hat)

To see more, you’ll have to come to the opera which opens on 17th October and runs for five performances.

More about the visit to St Louis and of course the 59th Festival in forthcoming blogs.

Ciao for now!  Peter.

Photographs © Ger Lawlor 2010, www.gerlawlor.com