It was pure imagination with delicious adventures at LMPS (Lakeland Middle Preparatory School) tonight (4.5.19) for the musical “Willy Wonka Jr.”
The opening night performance filled the school Cafetorium with 400+ family, friends and staff along with elected officials from the Lakeland School Board and Lakeland Board of Commissioners.
Link to photos of the evening: https://photos.app.goo.gl/x5SfyJeUUvNsemdc6
It’s not too late to catch a performance of Roald Dahl’s timeless story of the world-famous candy man and his quest to find an heir through a golden ticket to adventure.
There are two more opportunities to see the 31-member cast assisted by six crew members.
Willy Wonka Jr.
LMPS Cafetorium
7 p.m. Saturday (4.6.19)
2 p.m. Sunday (4.7.19)
Adults – $10 – Students – $5
Under 4 – free
The show featured familiar songs like The Candy Man and Pure Imagination amid vivid set designs and ingenious costumes.
The 90-minute production included 22 songs and 20 scenes split between two acts. The mysterious candy manufacturer, Willy Wonka, stages a contest by hiding golden tickets into five of his delicious candy bars. The lucky people who discover the tickets win a free tour of the Wonka factory and a lifetime of chocolate.
But no good musical goes without a moral to the story. Four of the five winners are unbearable but the fifth winner is a likeable boy who takes the tour with his grandfather. The lesson? Follow the rules or suffer the consequences.
The audience rewarded the student actors and actresses with applause, cheers, a standing ovation, bouquets of flowers and pictures with the new stars.
Teacher sponsors include Alison Garland, ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and co-director of the musical with Mandy Christopher, 6th grade social studies teacher and theater sponsor. Jessica Washington, 6th grade science and 7th grade social studies teacher, is in charge of choreography and lights. Rachael Nanney, art teacher, was in charge of set painting.
Mrs. Garland said the process for the 2019 show began almost a year ago. “We knew we needed to go bigger, and boy, did we.” She said the show has been a roller coaster of a ride but she complimented the “incredibly talented students” and supportive booster parents.
Concessions are sold by the Drama Boosters Club before the show and during intermission.
… Photos by Jim Willis, Lakeland Currents
