The Cherry Hill East Theater club performed the play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from December 10th to December 12th. The play is an adaptation of the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, which follows the story of Charlie Bucket (played by Anthony Torrissi(’23) in the white cast and Charlie Bove in the red cast) going through a maze of temptations in order to get the prize of his own Chocolate Factory.

The play takes place in the United Kingdom around the 1960s, and the premise is that famous Chocolatier Willy Wonka (played by Alex Barkhamer(’22) in the white cast and Anthony Torrissi in the red cast) sent out 5 Golden Tickets that could be found in one of his chocolate bars. The lucky winners of this contest would win a free tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and all the chocolate that they could ever want.

All over Europe and North America, 5 children won this contest. The first winner was Augustus Gloop (played by Marco Veneziano(’22) in the white cast and Jevyn San Pedro(’22) in the red cast) a German chocolate lover. The second winner was Veruca Salt (played by Maddie Reddy(’23) in the white cast and Miranda Rosenbaum(’23) in the red cast) was the daughter of an English, wealthy factory owner. The third winner of the contest was Violet Beauregarde (played by Julia Boehning(’22) in the white cast and Kate Bove(’25) in the red cast) a skilled and almost professional gum chewer. The fourth winner of the contest was Mike Teavee (played by Jake Gilman(’24) in the white cast and in the Marco Veneziano(’22) red cast) was an American TV addict. The final winner of the contest was the protagonist of the show, Charlie Bucket. This group of five goes to Willy Wonka’s factory to explore the world of imagination that Willy Wonka built and runs with help of his Oompa Loompa.

The first child to “disappear” in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was Augustus Gloop whose gluttony got him sucked down a tube and transported elsewhere. Each child, except for Charlie Bucket, soon meets their downfall. The main way Willy Wonka separates the deserving children from the undeserving ones is by presenting them with something to exploit a character flaw that they have. Veruca is shown to be spoiled, and Mike and Violet are shown to not follow directions.

The play ends when Willy Wonka reveals his true intentions in holding the contest. He was hoping to find a successor to his factory, which he was able to find with Charlie. The play ends when Charlie is given control of the factory.