The fiasco known as the Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience, or "Fyre Fest For Kids", may be lurching back to life as a musical. This February, parents and children in Glasgow were subjected to an "immersive experience" that involved dispirited actors in cheap costumes, performing AI generated gibberish, and no chocolate.
Now, according to Vulture, an intrepid producer has found a way to candy coat the disastrous cash grab — with song. British producer Richard Kraft is hoping to transform the debacle into Willyfest – The Musical.
"While most see nothing but wreckage in a disaster of this magnitude, we all think it screams out: Musical!!" Kraft added that the musical is in talks with investors to make sure there is a "proper budget to execute this well," noting that the team doesn't want to "fall into putting on the very thing we are satirizing."
It doesn't take pure imagination to see the potential. From The Music Man's loveable grifters, to Chicago's tuneful homicides and, recently, the FDA-violating meat pies of Sweeney Todd, Broadway has long rewarded bad behavior. The concept has attracted legitimate talent like Riki Lindhome and songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, who contributed to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The tunesmiths released a statement that says it all.
"…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."
See also: FYRE Fest for kids — "Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience" leads to tears and anger