Listen as Kitty chats with David Samuel from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory playing at DPAC through Sunday!
David Samuel plays Mr. Beauregarde, father to Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and tells Kitty about how he got into the musical world saying “I was introduced to it as a kid, but I actually started seriously pursuing it, like getting training and all of that, about 7 years ago. I just kept going from there.”
David was a perfect fit for the role, getting the part after only 2 auditions! He says “I was working at an office, trying to make my rent in between gigs, and I walked down the street, did my first audition, came back, and I joked with my friends and I said ‘Wouldn’t it be crazy if I got this job?’ and then a few months later, I have the job.”
This isn’t the original ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ you might remember, as it takes parts from all the variations made throughout the years. David explains how this will be different, saying “It’s a collage, it takes all the different colors of the Gene Wilder film, the Johnny Depp film, and the book, and puts it together in this beautiful mosaic of ideas and songs.”
David also touches on the diversity in this cast, as the Beauregarde family will be black in this version compared to the original. “Something actually came out when we were in rehearsal, they were talking about the book, and I think Roald Dahl’s wife had said that the original intention was for Charlie to be a young black child. Which was very interesting, in the casting of this show, one of the people that covers Willy Wonka is a black man…It’s been really incredible to hear that response from folks, and have parents come up to us after the show and say ‘This is really incredible, I had a chance to talk to my child about diversity and about why representation matter in the arts’” David says.
David hopes the show will take people away for a moment, explaining “I think looking at this show as an opportunity to imagine a world that is greater and more wonderful than the world your in today.”
Catch Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory playing at DPAC now through Sunday, February 17th! For tickets or for more information visit DPACNC.com.