Viral Willy Wonka Experience to be adapted as musical parody
The Glasgow event became a social media phenomenon
Last updated 15th Mar 2024
After going viral and receiving attention from across the globe, there is now set to be a musical parody of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience. The disastrous event saw children left in tears, as the police were called following complaints from families.
The event was promoted as 'a celebration of chocolate in all its forms', inspired by the 2023 Wonka film staring Timothée Chalamet. However, guests who paid £35 for the experience were met with a barely-decorated warehouse, with just a few jelly beans and a quarter-cup of lemonade given to the children in attendance.
However, a team of top film, television and stage songwriters have now come together to create a musical parody inspired by the viral event. Produced by Kraft-Engel Productions, WillyFest - A Musical Parody is reportedly set to premiere later this year.
In a statement, songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner said: "From Broadway to street corner pop-ups, audiences have become obsessed with immersive experiences that enable them to be apart of the story.
"But it takes a special kind of magic to devastate children and adults alike - and it feels like the only way to find meaning in this chocolate-less catastrophe...is to sing about it."
Producer Richard Kraft of Kraft-Engel Productions added: "While it is quite common for there to be writers' rooms in television, taking that approach with theatrical songwriters is fairly unique and likely to produce amazingly satirical and unexpected results.
"If Ed Wood and P.T. Barnum got unto 'environmental experiences' fuelled by a million dreams and zero dollars, it might turn out like this. While most see nothing but wreckage in a disaster of this magnitude, we all think it screams out: Musical!"
What's more, a breakout star from the fiasco is set to scare visitors at The London Dungeon over the Easter period. 16-year-old Felicia from Glasgow appeared as 'The Unknown', an evil rival chocolatier that Wonka had to defeat.
Donning a black cape and silver face mask, The Unknown appeared from behind a mirror and caused terrified children to cry out in fear. Speaking about her upcoming appearance, Felicia said: "I'm a huge fan of The Dungeons across the UK. I've visited many times as a guest, and I can't quite believe I now get to be the one who's scaring the public.
"Who would have thought my wild Wonka experience would have led me to this?"
The Unknown's impact has even been said to have inspired a new horror movie from Kaledonia Pictures, with the film said to have been rushed into production following the viral phenomenon.
Focusing on The Unknown, the film will follow an illustrator and his wife, who are haunted by the sad death of their son, Charlie. After trying to escape their grief in the Scottish Highlands, 'an unknowable evil' is said to 'await them'.
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