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Brought to life by a cast of more than 50 performers, San Benito Stage Company’s production of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” opened July 10 at the Hollister High School Auditorium.
Performances are scheduled through July 25.
The play’s director, Zac Isom, said he had seen a few performances of the show in the past but the current production was mostly inspired by this particular cast, their acting abilities and personalities.
Isom, who previously directed “Beetlejuice” for the company and appeared in productions of “Footloose” and “The Sound of Music,” said that the audience should be ready for some interesting special effects.
“Doing this kind of magic on stage is always kind of a challenge,” he said. “But we are all super excited for the show, and I think it’s going to be a blast for the audience.”
Producer Marissa Wootton said she thinks everyone will love the show and laugh a lot. She said she was impressed by the youngest performers’ memorization skills and by the “little teeny toddlers” who worked hard on their dancing and singing.
“We held the auditions in April, and the cast voted on what show it was going to be,” she said. “This one is really funny. It’s full of fun and action and a wild show. We have lots of surprises but I’m not going to spoil any of them.”
Aaron Hernandez, who plays the title role, said that the character of Wonka is fun to play.
“From the actor side,” he said, “it’s fun just because I’m on stage quite a bit, and it’s challenging at the same time but it’s fun. Willy Wonka is very over the top. He’s always imagining. He’s rude to the kids, but he’s also fun and a little zany.”
Hernandez said he likes the complexity of the play’s characters.
“I love the characters,” he said.“We have two actors who play ‘Charlie,’ Axel Fontaine and Henry Davis, and they’re both super talented and fun to work with. And so are all the Golden Ticket winners, the teenagers and younger kids.”
He said he had seen the movies and watched a few productions of the stage show, but worked to develop his own character.
“I tried to take a little bit from everyone who played the character before,” he said, “without trying to copy exactly what other people have done. The hardest part is probably just being on stage basically the whole show.”
Hernandez said there were several scenes he particularly enjoyed, such as “Strike That, Reverse It,” which he described as very fast-paced, and “Review from Here,” the final song he sings with the Charlie character.
“I took a break from acting for a while,” he said, “and I haven’t had a lead role like this in a while. It’s just fun to be on stage.”
The remaining performances of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory are July 17, 24 and 25 at 7 p.m., plus July 25 at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at www.sanbenitostage.org.
Henry Davis, who plays Charlie Bucket, chats with the Candy Man at the candy store. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Davis as Charlie Bucket is excited about getting the Golden Ticket. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Niko Veltri, who plays Grandpa Joe, reads the news. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is running at the Hollister High School auditorium. Photo by Adam Bell. 
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory includes a cast of dozens. Photo by Adam Bell.
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