Originally a poem, Golden Ticket from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory now has a very recognisable melody and is a well loved song from the original film. The song is performed by Grandpa and Charlie as they celebrate Charlie finding a Golden Ticket in a Wonka bar, meaning they are able to visit Willy Wonka’s factory. This is something that many people all over the world aspired to get, a prize which only a few would win and therefore caused much commotion when one was found. Taking such a well distinguished text, I question what might happen if the ‘Golden Ticket’ was viewed as something else, perhaps power or fame; perhaps this golden ticket isn’t as desiring as it first appears.
I decided to make a short film showing various clips of well know celebrities. Some of these film clips include interviews, red carpet premieres, music videos, sections of films, stage performances and also a video diary. The celebrity figures that I have decided to incorporate into the short film have all died in similar circumstances; from a drug overdose.
(Screen shots of the film making process. Taken: 25 Februaury 2014)
The short film will be muted whilst I sing the golden ticket lyrics to a melody I have written, different to the original song. This will be accompanied by me playing acoustic guitar. Some of the lyrics read:
“I never dreamed that I would climb, over the moon in ecstacy. But nevertheless, it’s there that I’m shortly about to be.” (Dahl, 2010).
The use of live song integrated into this kind of a performance will give it diversity, creating a different atmosphere yet still keeping to the company’s manifesto and our overall aim to create a contemporary piece of theatre. The musical element is an interesting way to perform a text, especially with the emotions attached to the film. Scott McMillin on The Musical As Drama comments: “musical numbers should carry on the action of the play and should be representative of the personalities of the characters who sing them” (2006, p.2). This is interesting with regards to this short scene, as although I won’t be taking on a character, the scene gives a sense that these celebrities lives represent the lyrics of the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgD5cjlhvf4
(‘Fame’ by Libby Soper. Uploaded to Youtube: 6 March 2014)
I feel that the film is the main focus of this scene and therefore, as the performer, I will either be off-stage or at the side so that the emphasis is on the projection. The main aim of the piece isn’t to criticise the celebrity lifestyle or in fact the celebrity themselves. In comparison it is a chance to almost celebrate the work they created, showing them at their peak and how a lot of people aspire to achieve what they have; symbolising the ‘golden ticket’. However it could be said that fame itself was an influence to their deaths and that perhaps if they weren’t in the public eye and under the immense pressure that it produces, it may not have happened.
Work cited:
Dahl, Roald (2010) Poetry By Roald Dahl “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket”. [online] Available from: http://roalddahlpoetry.weebly.com/poetry.html [Accessed 14 March 2014].
McMillin, Scott (2006) The Musical As Drama, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press.