Half Trick Theatre is a New Zealand theatre company based in Edinburgh that produces some really interesting, horror- and genre-adjacent works. Their latest show, Waiting For Wonka, imagines what happened to the kids fifteen years after the events of the classic children’s story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The story opens with Veruca, Augustus, Violet, and Mike all sharing a house, one that is apparently on the property of Willy Wonka himself. As such, their home is appropriately whimsical, and of course, their diet includes plenty of candy and ironic menu choices. Augustus has become a fitness fanatic who abhors chocolate. Mike TV is now an online streamer. And Veruca and Violet? Well, they’re also working through their own trauma, in their own unique ways. Charlie is their oh-so-annoying landlord. It’s almost a twisted episode of The Young Ones.
Waiting For Wonka is a cleverly worked-out homage that reframes the events of The Chocolate Factory as something of a body horror story, and uses that to tell a story about innocence lost and childhood trauma. It’s a story about reclaiming power from those who should have known better. It processes the classic story through modern eyes, which makes for a fascinating bit of theatre. Clever and innovative.
The plot focuses on a second ‘Golden Ticket’ style competition, though now it’s an online poll. Though this is a clever swipe at the source material, it’s mostly just an excuse to get the kids talking to each other about what happened and how Wonka’s actions permanently changed them. This is a show about childhood trauma, peppered with gags and engaging moments.
The story takes some weird twists that would have made Roald Dahl proud, and the acting is very solidly done. There are thankfully no songs and no Oompa-Lumpas, but there are a lot of sweeties and some well-placed shots at capitalism. Overall, this is solidly done and very quirky bit of theatre with some very memorable moments. An excellent parody of all things Wonka and well worth seeking out.
Find out more about Half Trick Theatre here.
