Violet, being an obsessive gum eater, chomps down on the gum right away, despite Mr. Wonka warnings to stop. On the third course--blueberry pie--she blows up into a giant blueberry and is rolled off to the de-juicing room by her mother.

Later, in the Golden Goose Room, Veruca huffs and puffs, demanding a golden goose NOW--even to the point where she starts destroying things and causing mischief. Because Veruca's father can't control her, she falls headlong down an egg tester chute and one more child is gone.

Now the last two children, Charlie and Mike, continue on to the Wonka Vision Room, where candy is transported onto a television screen for people to eat. Mike, being the TV addict he is, ends up getting himself transported and transformed into someone way, way smaller than normal size. He is taken off to the stretching room so he can be sized back to normal--and Charley is the last child left.

This means that Charlie has won the real contest, for in the story's twist we discover that Mr. Willy Wonka needs an heir, and so Charley is chosen! He will run the factory when Willy passes away!

The play's similarities to the movie are much more prominent than to the book. As a matter of fact, more detail really would've been better for the play. Sometimes we're left wondering: "What happened?" Also, I was not always able to hear the singing. I found myself straining to hear the words. The dance sequences though were wonderful.

Among the performances, I think the best was that of Veruca, played by Elizabeth Mazur, who gave a performance close to what I thought the real life Veruca would be like. Her singing and dancing skills were superb, and her acting was great. And, just like in the movie, you love to hate her.

Overall, I'd recommend this show for the dancing. It's a great play for kids of all ages.