Fiasco Willy Wonka experience being turned into parody musical

A veritable who’s who of musical comedy talent is coming together to roast one of the biggest social media fiascos of the year, that “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Hoping to steal some of the shine from Warner Bros. smash Wonka, organizers promised to immerse patrons in a wonderland of candy-covered delights. In reality, people shelled out around $60 a ticket to stand in a partially decorated warehouse that some on social media said looked more like a meth lab than anything from the movie.

Due out in late 2024, WillyFest – A Musical Parody intends to add some fuel to the Fyre Fest-like disaster.

“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,” say songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner. The Broadway veterans and alumni of ABC’s Once Upon a Time are among those lending their talents to the staged production. 

Songwriting team Tova Litvin and Doug Rockwell added, “When the inspiration for a parody has a con artist, ChatGPT, a mysterious wedding and crying children, it’s hard to resist.” They added, “Who wouldn’t want to write a musical about an experience that goes from joy, to fear, to ‘Why the f*** am I here?'”

Other talent attached to the parody are Garfunkel & Oates and Another Period’s Riki Lindhome, and Daniel Mertzlufft, who created Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical. 

Kraft-Engel Productions, veterans of ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live, among other productions, is producing.