ROALD DAHL'S WILLY WONKA at BOSTON UNIVERSITY

BWW Review: ROALD DAHL'S WILLY WONKA at Wheelock Family Theatre

Roald Dahl wrote books for the children of his time and it is a wonder that many of his creations have remained as popular and well-loved as they have decades after his death. Although James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, The Witches, and The Twits can all trace thematic influence back to Dahl's involvement in World War II, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory seems to be the most heavily-informed by an unquestioning devotion to western industrialization and hope for the germinating seeds of our present-day capitalism. The 1971 movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is indicative of its time not only in its psychedelic colors and film effects but in its Vietnam-Conflict-era praise of Americanized consumerism. While Tim Burton's 2005 film adaptation reclaimed the title of the 1964 book and attempted to be a more faithful translation, its darkness and sterile settings have not garnered the cultural embrace of its predecessor, mainly because (I believe) of the public's common, shifting relationship with and disdain for industrialization and capitalism.

Wheelock Family Theatre Announces 2019-2020 Season

Wheelock Family Theatre at Boston University announces its 2019-2020 Season including Roald Dahl's musical Willy Wonka (October 25-November 24, 2019), Little Women: The Broadway Musical (January 31-February 23, 2020), The Little Prince (April 8-May 24, 2020), and Bud, Not Buddy (April 28-May 24 2020). Subscription packages are now on sale. Visit www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org to view savings options and benefits. Single tickets for the 2019-2020 Season will go on sale September 3, 2019.