Having heard that Half Trick Theatre have put on some excentric shows in the past, I expected Waiting For Wonka to be a silly, goofy and hilarious satire. It was. But it also surprised me with how much depth and heart it managed to squeeze into its roughly hour long runtime.
Waiting For Wonka imagines if the children of that first fated tour of Wonka’s chocolate factory, after all their various mishaps and injuries, never left and were living in an apartment (prison) inside the factory with Charlie as their new Landlord. All grown up now, the 4 look back on their lives, how their near-death experiences shaped them and how much they care for each other now.
Airlie Duff is Veruca Salt, playing her part as a stuck up brat, but much cleverer than she lets on. Duff’s Veruca is confident, commanding and annoying but in the best way possible; making the audience rethink all they know about “spoilt” people who may have, once, had everything they could ever ask for.
Caden Scott is the German Augustus Gloop. Scott’s accent is hilarious, his physical presence and comedic timing flawless and his Gloop tugs at the heartstrings, being a rock for the group, someone they can hold onto in times of need, yet also take for granted and demean when they really need him the most. Scott’s performance leans into this, quiet solidness while also perfectly matching the large, OTT-ness happening on stage.
Alex Medland is Violet Beauregarde. Medland takes on a surprisingly emotional track here, digging deep into Violet’s past trauma with her “Blueberrification” and the resulting humiliation that ultimately follows that. Physicality that tells a story, boundless energy and a deep understanding of her character all help Medland make Violet stick in the mind after the show is done.
Chris Veteri is Mike Teavee. Leaning into his name sake, cleverly Mike is made to be a mouthy, doesn’t-think-before-he-talks, manosphere coded streamer who we all hear about a little more than we’d like nowadays. But Chris manages, somehow, to make Mike endearing, showing that his words almost never come from a place of malice, but simply a lack of education on the topic he is discussing. A insightful look into masculinity and its place in our current climate that Veteri tackles brilliantly.
Rory Drinnan-Murray plays Charlie Bucket. Having a little less stage time than his peers, Drinnan-Murray captures every second he is given with his larger-than-life imagining of an adult Charlie. Playing the line with seeming harmless but also being horrible is a tough gig, but he does it with ease.
The Production Design from James Jennifer Wright, Grant Duff and Indrid Heron is creative and efficient for the story being told; easy-to-move set pieces help the story and scene move quickly while some whacky, whimsical looking additions make it feel like the action is happening in some reclusive part of the Factory, all adding to the audience’s immersion. Equally the Fight Coordination from Luke Davison is another note-worthy element here. The fights feel real, brutal at times and fast paced, never once breaking suspension of disbelief.
The Direction by Courtney Bassett is a delight. Utilising every character perfectly and making the movement and pace of the piece feel purposeful and quick shows how brilliantly Bassett is at making a unified and perfect for a Fringe audience or setting.
Waiting For Wonka is a chocolate fuelled, surprise filled, laugh-a-minute fun ride that entertains while genuinely making an emotional impact, something incredibly hard to properly pull off with such a fun and farcical premise. The perfect recipe for a treat that Fringe audiences will gobble up without second thought.
Theatre Scotland 
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