Sneak Peek of The Golden Ticket

By Ellen Sturgill

Get ready, Atlantans, because tomorrow, you will finally get your chance to see the inside of Willy Wonka's factory! The Atlanta Opera's second production of the season, The Golden Ticket, premieres tomorrow night, and it promises to be a performance like no other.  With dazzling visual effects, spectacular costumes, larger-than-life characters, beautiful music, and chocolate (lots of it), Roald Dahl's classic story comes to life in this modern operatic adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

If you can't wait until tomorrow to witness this spectacular affair, have no fear. With photos from last night's final dress rehearsal, we're giving readers a first look at what they can expect from this exciting opera. Enjoy!

Daniel Okulitch (left) plays Mr. Know/Willy Wonka, and Ruben Roy (right) performs the role of Charlie Bucket in the Atlanta Opera’s production of The Golden Ticket, March 3-11, 2012 at the Cobb Energy Center. © Tim Wilkerson

From left to right- Tenor Keith Jameson (Grandpa Joe), mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton (Grandma Joesephine/Mrs. Teavee), Ruben Roy (Charlie Bucket), baritone Jason Hardy (Grandpa George/Mr. Beauregard), and soprano Kristin Clayton (Grandma Georgina/Mrs. Gloop) in the Atlanta Opera’s production of The Golden Ticket. © Tim Wilkerson

Soprano Ashley Emerson (Violet Beauregard), and tenor Andrew Drost (Augustus Gloop) describe how they won their Golden Tickets to soprano Krista Kostin (Candy Mallow). © Tim Wilkerson

Veruca Salt, mezzo-soprano Abigail Nims, finally gets her way winning a Golden Ticket, with the help of her father Lord Salt, sung by baritone David Kravitz . © Tim Wilkerson

Charlie Bucket (Ruben Roy) finds his Golden Ticket. © Tim Wilkerson

Willy Wonka (Daniel Okulitch) describes his factory to Mike Teevee (Gerald  Thompson), Charlie Bucket (Ruben Roy), Veruca Salt (Abigail Nims), and Augustus Gloop (Andrew Drost). © Tim Wilkerson

Willy Wonka finally opens the gate to his factory! © Tim Wilkerson

Augustus Gloop, tenor Andrew Drost, over-indulges in the chocolate river. © Tim Wilkerson

Gerald Thompson as Mike Teevee in The Golden Ticket. © Tim Wilkerson

Veruca Salt (Abigail Nims) gets punished by the Squirrel chorus and Oompa Loompas  in the Atlanta Opera’s production of The Golden Ticket, March 3-11, 2012 at the Cobb Energy Center.

With the Oompa Loompas assisting, Willy Wonka (Daniel Okulitch) and Charlie Bucket (Ruben Roy) take off  in Wonka's elevator. © Tim Wilkerson

The cast of The Golden Ticket celebrate Charlie's good fortune as he starts his new life as the owner of the chocolate factory. © Tim Wilkerson

Want to see The Golden Ticket in person? Get your tickets on our website, or call 404.881.8885.

Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.8801.

Behind the Scenes of The Golden Ticket

By Ellen Sturgill

Mark your calendars! In a little over a week, The Atlanta Opera will be presenting one of the most fanciful operas it has ever produced.  The Golden Ticket opens on Saturday, March 3rd, and Atlanta audiences will be in for a treat – and we don’t just mean chocolate.

True to Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the opera centers on the antics of four bratty children, one sweet child, and a zany confectioner.  Since its publication in 1964, this classic story has withstood the test of time –  inspiring two movies, enchanting both scholars and children alike, and garnering a devoted, if not fanatical, following. In the newest installment of Wonka-lore, The Golden Ticket combines one of the most fantastical plots in literature with the stunning art form of opera.

You may be wondering how it could be possible to translate a story as complex as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory into an opera.  Therefore, for this week’s blog, we thought we’d give our readers a sneak peek into how this happens. The rehearsal photos, sketches, and behind-the-scenes interviews below will show you what to expect at the premiere Saturday, March 3rd at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Enjoy!

© Cherokee Rose Productions


The characters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are iconic, but this opera takes a different spin on some of the characters: four of the roles include adult opera singers portraying children. Having Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregard, Mike Teevee, and Veruca Salt performed by adults gives them a larger-than-life quality, and creates a dramatic distinction between the one good child in the opera.  Charlie Bucket will be sung by boy sopranos Benjamin P.Wenzelberg and Ruben Roy, and their pure, clear voices add to the honesty of Charlie's character.

Of course, one cannot think of Road Dahl's classic without including the fantastic, the magnificent, the incredible... Willy Wonka.  Reprising this role from the world-premiere of The Golden Ticket in 2010 with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch.  In his Atlanta Opera debut, Daniel's Willy Wonka is zany, yet with a timbre as rich as Wonka's famous chocolate.

Pictured below is the cast and creative team of The Golden Ticket, as well as rehearsal photos.

Willy Wonka (Daniel Okulitch), and Charlie Bucket (Bejamin P. Wenzelberg). © Jeff Roffman

Boy soprano Ruben Roy sings as Charlie Bucket, with Willy Wonka (Daniel Okulitch) observing. © Jeff Roffman 

Composer Peter Ash instructs Daniel Okulitch in a rehearsal.  © Jeff Roffman

Willy Wonka (Daniel Okulitch) is confronted by a very demanding Veruca Salt, sung by soprano Abigail Nims. © Jeff Roffman

Things aren't looking good for Violet Beauregard (Ashley Emerson). © Charles Wenzelberg

From far left to right, Jason Hardy, Benjamin P. Wenzelberg, Abigail Nims, Gerald Thompson, Jamie Barton, and Keith Jameson react to Violet Beauregard's unfortunate mishap. © Charles Wenzelberg

Stage Director Michael Shell observes a rehearsal.  © Charles Wenzelberg

Countertenor Gerald Thompson rehearses the role of Mike Teavee. © Charles Wenzelberg

Looks like trouble between Violet Beauregard (Ashley Emerson), and Veruca Salt (Abigail Nims). © Charles Wenzelberg

Though the process took years, composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock created an opera that evokes the enchanting world of Willy Wonka.  Check out this interview with Peter and Donald to get the inside scoop on how The Golden Ticket came to be.

© Cherokee Rose Productions

Bringing Roald Dahl's characters to life also involves creative costumes.  Shown below are some original costume sketches designed for Opera Theatre of St. Louis.

This opera is sure to delight audiences of all ages.  Take a look at the video below for reviews of its world-premiere.  If you haven’t already purchased your tickets, there is still time!  Visit our webpage for more information, or call The Atlanta Opera Ticket Office at 4043.881.8885 to get your ticket for this extraordinary opera

Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.8801.

Q&A with Adam Cannedy, Oompa Loompa Aficionado

By Ellen Sturgill

Everyone has heard of Roald Dahl’s classical book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But people may not know that composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock took this iconic story, and turned it into a larger-than-life opera.  The Atlanta Opera is excited to bring The Golden Ticket to our stage this March.  If you love chocolate, beautiful music, and Oompa Loompas, this opera is for you.  

To give readers an inside scoop on what being a part of this innovative opera is like, this week’s blog features a Q&A with baritone Adam Cannedy.  Adam has been in the past two productions of The Golden Ticket, once in the world premiere with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in June 2010, and later at the Wexford Festival Opera in October of 2010.  As someone who has a great deal of personal experience with this opera, Adam shares why working with Peter Ash was exciting, and yet intimidating, and why creating the characterizations of the first “big” Oompa Loompas is something he’ll never forget. Enjoy! 

1. What was it like being a part of the world premiere of The Golden Ticket? Working on the world premiere of The Golden Ticket was rewarding and daunting at the same time.  When I received the score, all we had to reference was an electronic sampling of the music, which really meant we were starting from a blank pallet.  I remember working on the music for hours in the practice room trying to figure out where I would find the notes, how the harmonies fit together, etc.  It took a lot of time, but it was worth it.  This wasn't my first premiere, and with any premiere performance, it is great to feel like you are putting your stamp on something that will hopefully be performed for many years to come.

2. How was it different performing in an opera with a living composer? Did you enjoy working with Peter Ash? I have worked with several living composers, and it is always such a thrilling experience for me.  Working with the composer really raises the stakes.  I had the great pleasure of working with Peter on Wonka's music, and coaching Wonka's Welcome aria.  It is such a rare experience to have the person responsible for putting the music on the page say, "Now, Adam, I wrote that as a sixteenth note, and you sang an eighth note.  I want you to enjoy the rest, and let the silence speak!"  Talk about accountability!  You have this opportunity to ask questions and feel confident that your performance is an honest representation of what the composer wants. Peter is wonderful to work with, and his vision for this opera is clear and inspiring.  

3. How was portraying such iconic characters as the Oompa Loompas? Ah, the Oompa Loompas.  In every representation of this story to date, there is one constant: the Oompas are little people.  This is simply not possible for the opera stage.  The music for the Oompa Loompas is some of the most interesting and difficult music in the score, so you just can't have a children's chorus running around as these characters.  They are too important.  So we found ourselves, fully-grown adult men, being thrust into the world of the Oompas... and it was awesome. 

What is really exciting about being the first "big" Loompas ever was we got to create the characters. The characterization of the Oompas that the Atlanta audience will see started with us in St. Louis.  We knew audiences would expect little people, so we countered that expectation by creating a sort of in-human and weird character in the Oompa Loompas.  The way they walk, the way they laugh, the way they interact with other characters: the audience will no longer feel like they are watching human adults. It was a lot of work, but some of the most fun I've ever had on stage... the sky was the limit.  We all had the motto that "the weirder, the better," and that really seemed to work in translating these characters to the opera stage. 

4. Musically speaking, what do you like about the composition? How does this opera translate the things we love from Roald Dahl's classic story into music?  It had been years since I read the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I bought a new copy to research this opera.  For anyone unfamiliar with the original story, it is filled with strange and bizarre scenarios and characters.   Peter did a fantastic job putting these unexpected oddities in human behaviors into a musical score.  The story really delves into the world of human behavior, focusing a lot on the horrible bratty behavior of four of the five children in the story.  

What I really love about this score is the way Peter references other eras in operatic composition.  For example, to have the gluttonous child, Augustus Gloop, sung as a tenor who milks every high note was a genius move.  Also, the gum-chewing, mile-a-minute girl who never seems to stop talking, Violet Beauregard, is a coloratura soprano, with moving notes that never seem to stop in speed or range.  It could very well be a Handel aria, and it's amazing to hear anyone sing some of the stuff he's written.  I think the audience will really love seeing and hearing these characters portrayed as singers.  And Charlie, he's the only character who is actually a boy - a boy soprano in fact.  It really adds to the purity of that sweet character that he is the only actual child on stage. 

But of course, my favorite music is that of the Oompa Loompas.  Peter created their music as a sort of Vaudeville interjection of commentary on the behavior of these kids that the audience is witnessing on stage.  It is the Oompa Loompas who end up teaching the lesson as each child meets his or her demise throughout the factory tour, and their music is just the best.

5. What do you want audiences to take away from this opera? What I really want the audience to take away from performances of The Golden Ticket is the lesson at hand.  We see such exaggerated versions of really heinous behavior by these children and their parents, but by the end of the opera, the audience is rewarded to see that Charlie, the real hero of the story, wins in the end.  His life is made better because he is GOOD.  

From a musical perspective, I hope the audience will discover something new about opera.  To this day, people who don't know much about opera are surprised to learn that there are operas that exist in English.  People still assume that opera is about the "fat lady" and Italian plots no one understands...but there is so much more to opera!  This opera is so accessible.  It is a story people know in our own language, and I hope that it will open people's eyes to the vast world of music and story that opera has to offer.  In the end, I hope it will create a whole new age of opera fans.  

 6. What are some of your favorite memories from past performances of The Golden Ticket? Really, my favorite memories were experiencing something new during each and every performance.  There were no rules to how this opera should be performed, so with each performance, we [tried to] create something special.  During the initial run, I don't think the Oompa Loompas had two performances that were alike.  Each night we found a new way to be weird and crazy, and it was a blast. 

The best memory I have is getting nine guys together on stage to see who could be the weirdest.  How often do you get to do that?  Our first time in costume, we transformed.  All of a sudden, it wasn't Adam, Jonathan, and Adrian...we became characters in a fantasy world.  When we took the show to Ireland, only two of us were returning Oompas, so the process started all over again.  What a thrill!  Each production of this opera became a new opportunity to find something different in this crazy world.  And I'm very excited to see what the talented Atlanta Opera does with this wonderful show.

© Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

© Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

© Cherokee Rose Productions

For more information on how you can get your own "golden ticket" to this opera, check out the Atlanta Opera's website.

Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.8801.

Move over Sugar Plums...

By Ellen Sturgill

Chocolate bars are dancing around our heads here at The Atlanta Opera!

What do you get when you mix opera with five children, one zany confectioner, a dash of magic, and lots and lots of chocolate bars? The Atlanta Opera's second opera of the season, The Golden Ticket!  This new and delightful opera is based on Roald Dahl's beloved tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and will take you on a journey into the magical world of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Commissioned by American Lyric Theater and Roald Dahl's widow, Felicity Dahl, The Golden Ticket features all the sweet delights familiar from the book, including chocolate rivers, inflating blueberries, and magical elevators. 

The road to creating this opera, however, wasn't as smooth as Wonka's famous chocolate. Composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock struggled with legal issues surrounding Dahl's book, as well as getting companies to take an opera based on a children's story seriously.  The Golden Ticket's world-premiere in June 2010 at Opera Theater of Saint Louis was an enormous success.  The production entertained audiences, and proved that opera isn't just love triangles and death scenes.

"Delightful: a fanciful tale meets... opera. Sturrock's libretto bubbles along with fun rhyming couplets, and the music is surprisingly sophisticated." (Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell, on the Opera Theater of Saint Louis premiere)

Atlanta audiences will certainly see things they've never seen before.  This new production combines dramatic sets, special effects, and elaborate costumes that are sure to delight.

Peter Ash's music also strikes just the right notes, with whimsical orchestrations, as well as dramatic arias that parody traditional opera styles. Many of the singers are familiar with the opera, having sung it in the world premiere. These singers include bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka/Mr. Know, tenor Andrew Drost as Augustus Gloop, and baritone David Kravitz as Lord Salt.  Also reprising a role is Abigail Nims, who sang the role of Veruca Salt in Wexford Festival Opera's production.

Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka. Photo: Courtesy of Opera Theater of Saint Louis.

The Atlanta Opera is also thrilled to have The Golden Ticket composer Peter Ash coming to conduct the performances. Having the original composer of an opera conduct is a rare treat, and we are excited to have such a new production in our 2011-2012 season. If you can't wait until March to see more from this opera, visit our website for more information, as well as videos and audio clips of The Golden Ticket. 

After all this talk of chocolate, are you craving something sweet or savory? Then you're in luck!

In this week's blog post, we thought we'd not only give you a sneak peek of the The Golden Ticket, but also a taste of the opera, too!

The recipe links below include treats from the five children of The Golden Ticket. They are easy to make, and don't worry, these indulgences will not inflate you like a blueberry, or get you thrown into the trash by squirrels! At least, we don't think they will... Enjoy!

Augustus Gloop's Finger-Lickin-Good Chocolate Fudge 
© Kraft Foods

Violet Beauregarde's Blueberry Pie Cups

    © Kraft Foods

Veruca Salt's "I need it now!" Sweet Peanut Brittle

    © Kraft Foods

Mike Teevee's Shrunken Chicken BBQ Sliders

    © Kraft Foods

Charlie Bucket's Triple Layer Chocolate Bars

    © Kraft Foods


Usage of any images on this blog is restricted to The Atlanta Opera and approved news websites. Any other usage, particularly for professional purposes, must have written permission. For additional information, please contact The Atlanta Opera's Marketing Department at 404.881.8801.

Indulge Your Senses During The Atlanta Opera's 2011-2012 Season

© 2010 TOKY Branding + Design
The Atlanta Opera’s Zurich General Director Dennis Hanthorn announced the details of the company’s 2011-2012 season, celebrating its fifth anniversary in the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and welcoming Arthur Fagen as its Music Director. The Atlanta Opera’s new season will feature Donizetti’s chilling Lucia di Lammermoor; The Golden Ticket, a comic opera based on the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl; and Mozart’s brilliant Don Giovanni, and will be presented November 12, 2011 through May 6, 2012.

"The variety in this season’s selections is exciting. Longtime opera fans, families and first-timers looking to indulge in a unique evening out will all find something appealing,” said Zurich General Director Dennis Hanthorn. “Season tickets start at an affordable $75 for three operas, so we hope our current subscribers will entice their friends to share the opera experience with them. Artistically, each production features debuting singers, many of whom are making headlines on the world’s opera stages. Additionally, I am especially pleased to welcome Arthur Fagen this season as music director.”

The 2011-2012 season is the inaugural season with Arthur Fagen as music director. Fagen will conduct two of the three operas. His other responsibilities as music director include building and developing The Atlanta Opera Orchestra and assisting Hanthorn with singer and orchestra auditions, repertoire selection, and casting for future seasons. Maestro Fagen has had an extensive history with The Atlanta Opera which includes critically acclaimed productions of La traviata, Turandot, Cold Sassy Tree, Akhnaten, The Flying Dutchman, and The Magic Flute.

The Atlanta Opera opens its 2011-12 season at the Cobb Energy Centre on November 12, with Donizetti’s chilling Lucia di Lammermoor. Other performances will be on November 15, 18 and 20, 2011. In Donizetti’s dramatic tragedy, Lucia is forced to marry against her will, setting off a chain of tragic events that leads to the most spectacular mad scene in opera. The tragedy is played out on a grand scale leaving onlookers breathless.

© Tim Wilkerson
Soprano Georgia Jarman sings Lucia, with Stephen Powell in the role of her brother, Enrico. Edgardo is sung by Jonathan Boyd, and Timothy Culver performs the role of Lucia’s bridegroom, Arturo. Atlantan Susan Nicely sings the role of Lucia’s handmaid, Alisa.


© Cleveland Opera
Arthur Fagen, in his inaugural season as Atlanta Opera music director, conducts. Stage direction will be provided by Tomer Zvulun who delighted Atlanta Opera audiences with his engaging staging of The Magic Flute in 2010 and The Flying Dutchman in 2009. Lucia di Lammermoor will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.

The second production in The Atlanta Opera’s 2011-12 season is a comic opera called The Golden Ticket, based on the classic children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” by Roald Dahl. The Golden Ticket, written by Peter Ash using a libretto by Donald Sturrock, will be presented on March 3, 6, 9 and 11, 2012.


© Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Commissioned by American Lyric Theater (Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director) and Dahl’s widow, Felicity Dahl, The Golden Ticket features all the sweet delights familiar from the book, including chocolate rivers, inflating blueberries and magic elevators. This Atlanta Opera production will be the third production of The Golden Ticket since it premiered in June 2010 at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Many singers from the original Saint Louis cast will reprise their roles in Atlanta including bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch as Willy Wonka/Mr. Know, tenor Andrew Drost as Augustus Gloop, and baritone David Kravitz as Lord Salt.


© Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Mezzo-soprano Abigail Nims, who sang the role of Veruca Salt in Wexford Festival Opera’s production, will sing the role in Atlanta. The roles of Grandma Josephine/Mrs. Teavee will be sung by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. The role of Charlie, sung by a boy soprano, will be cast closer to the production. James Robinson, who directed the original production, will direct in Atlanta, as well. Composer Peter Ash will conduct. This production will be sung in English with English supertitles projected above the stage.

The Atlanta Opera closes its 2011-2012 season with Mozart’s masterpiece Don Giovanni on April 28, May 1, 4 and 6, 2012. Widely regarded as the greatest opera ever composed, Don Giovanni is a brilliant combination of comedy and tragedy, telling of the devious schemes and hijinks of history’s most beguiling scoundrel, Don Juan.



© Tim Wilkerson
Bass Andrea Concetti makes his Atlanta Opera debut in the role of Don Giovanni. His sidekick, Leporello, will be sung by debuting bass-baritone Eduardo Chama. Sopranos Lori Guilbeau and Maria Luigia Borsi sing the roles of Donna Anna and Donna Elvira, respectively. The role of Don Ottavio will be sung by tenor Nicholas Phan, who was last heard on The Atlanta Opera stage in 2008 singing Ramiro in Cinderella. The betrothed lovers Zerlina and Masetto will be sung by soprano Angela Kloc and Atlanta baritone Brent Davis. Bass Andrew Kroes sings the Commendatore.


© Tim Wilkerson

Richard Kagey, who designed the set for this season’s Porgy and Bess and directed the Atlanta Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten in 2008, directs, with Atlanta Opera Music Director Arthur Fagen conducting The Atlanta Opera Orchestra. Don Giovanni will be sung in Italian with English supertitles projected above the stage.