CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY A Small, Sweet Treat at DoodleHatch in Columbia

Against significant obstacles, Stand Up For… Theatre presents, for one weekend only, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at the DoodleHatch interactive art museum in Columbia, Maryland. Occupying a long-vacant space in Long Reach Village Center, DoodleHatch was created by local artists during the 2020 lockdown, and continues to evolve as mastermind artist and founder Lee Andersen imagines and re-imagines it while she designs and produces art clothing, develops a children’s television show and battles personal health challenges. Anyone familiar with the Long Reach area knows about “the old Safeway” and how it gathered dust for decades before Lee and her operation moved into it. The space has undergone significant transformation several times over, including the addition of Stand Up For… Theatre as an in-house theatre company, and is an enormous sprawling space.

The Howard County Fire Marshall, mere days before Opening Night, arrived to inspect the site, and, citing ‘fire code violations,’ insisted that the space is permitted only 50 people for ‘assembly,’  shut down the production. The show had been in rehearsal for months. 

The spirit of inclusion, however, is not easily quenched. Strenuous efforts from the DoodleHatch staff, Stand Up For… Theatre’s Production Team and indeed several members of the CHARLIE cast addressed issues that could have been pointed out at any time during the rehearsal process instead of at the onset of Pride month. An Assembly permit was finally granted at 4 PM on Friday, when the hopeful children and adults of the cast, Production Team and tech crew had already arrived, prepared to put on a show at 7 PM. At 6 PM, two representatives of the Fire Marshall’s department popped in unannounced for a final walk-through, insisting on additional changes and reiterating that no more than 50 audience members were permitted in the space. “We weren’t expecting you,” said a staff member. “Always expect us,” replied one of the department representatives. 

Based on the novel by Roald Dahl, the CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY musical, (book by David Greig, music by Marc Shalman, lyrics by Scott Wittmand and Marc Shalman, with additional songs from the motion picture by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Nedwley), is enough like the movie to feel familiar, and has a great deal more edge embedded.

Stand Up For…. Theatre has a mission statement that is anti-bullying and pro-inclusion, which leads them to casts more diverse than one usually sees in community performances. This cast and crew includes first-time performers, at least four parent-offspring pairs and an impressive amount of neurodivergence. This inclusiveness is the first and foremost reason for our community to resoundingly support Stand Up For…. Theatre, their mission and their productions. Another is that the show’s quite a lot of fun. 

Casting is excellent- Aidyn Mingo as Charlie Bucket is enthusiastic, expressive and appropriately nerdy. As Willy Wonka, Paul Norfolk is smooth and gentlemanly, with a whiff of wackiness. Director Ed Higgins plays Grandpa Joe with verve and zest . Lorelei Kahn as Mrs. Bucket is the essence of exhausted motherhood, and has a very sweet memory sequence that's charmingly choreographed. Pauliine Gill Williams in the comic bit role of Mrs. Green is delightful and I hope to see her again. Jessica Long as Mrs. Teevee is hilariously relatable. Christopher Pence and Cal Rodriguez as Chocolate Television anchor people are fun and over-the-top. In fact, every person in the cast does an excellent job. Lilou Altman's choreography allows each actor to shine, and the costume team of Grant Meyers, Cathy Pritchard and Lee Andersen deliver deliciously imaginative looks. The black-and-white footage of children discovering golden tickets, and the accompanying musical numbers, is a nice contrast to the super-saturated colors of the set and costumes.

Musical directors Doug Lea and Caleb Lee organize lovely vocals that are clean and clear, with audible lyrics, which is important, as most of the songs contain important plot points. You may recognize musical numbers from the motion picture, "Pure Imagination," "The Candy Man," and "I've Got A Golden Ticket" and there are a great many additional songs that are also delightful. Particularly heartwarming are "Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka!" "A Letter From Charlie Bucket," "Strike That, Reverse It" and "The View From Here."

Raffle baskets are available to view before the show and during intermission. Why raffle baskets? When the cast of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY realized that one weekend only would be the full run of the show, and that Stand Up For... Theatre likely to lose quite a lot of money rather than break even, they organized raffle baskets of varying themes to help offset the loss. Raffle tickets are $1 each. 

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is a show about triumph in the face of adversity and long odds, and, it turns out, the production is about that, too. The show closes on June 15th, with a 3 PM matinee. If you can get a ticket, do. 

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY plays at DoodleHatch Interactive Art Museum, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Columbia, MD 21045. Tickets $20 for adults; $18 youth/senior/military Parking is plentiful and free.