Get ready for a world of pure imagination! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory JR. is a shortened, fast-paced, 60-minute musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book, specifically designed for young performers.

It beautifully blends the nostalgia of the 1971 Gene Wilder film with contemporary Broadway energy, featuring iconic classics like "The Candy Man" and "Pure Imagination" alongside catchy, modern numbers from the newer stage version.

The Plot: A Golden Opportunity

The story follows Charlie Bucket, a kind-hearted, creative boy who lives in a tiny, cramped house with his loving parents and four bedridden grandparents. The family is incredibly poor, but Charlie fills his days with big dreams and a deep fascination for the local landmark: Willy Wonka’s mysterious, locked-down chocolate factory.

When the eccentric, reclusive candy titan Willy Wonka announces a worldwide contest, the globe erupts into a chocolate-buying frenzy. Wonka has hidden five Golden Tickets inside ordinary chocolate bars. The lucky finders will win a lifetime supply of sweets and an exclusive, highly secretive tour of the legendary factory.

Against all odds, Charlie finds a coin in the snow, buys a bar, and uncovers the final Golden Ticket. Alongside his ecstatic Grandpa Joe, he joins four other wildly spoiled, over-the-top kids at the factory gates:

Augustus Gloop: A gluttonous, food-obsessed boy who can't stop eating.

Veruca Salt: A demanding, bratty girl who throws tantrums until she gets what she wants.

Violet Beauregarde: A fiercely competitive, boastful, world-champion gum chewer.

Mike Teavee: A screen-addicted, technology-obsessed kid who cares only about television and electronics.

Inside the Gates

Once the tour begins, Willy Wonka guides the group through a mind-bending wonderland featuring chocolate waterfalls, lickable wallpaper, and trained, nut-sorting squirrels—all run by the mysterious, rhyming Oompa-Loompas.

One by one, the other four children give in to their worst impulses and suffer hilariously bizarre consequences (like turning into a giant blueberry or falling down a garbage chute). Charlie is the only child left standing at the end. By demonstrating honesty, selflessness, and a pure heart, he passes Wonka's secret test and wins the ultimate grand prize: inheriting the entire chocolate factory to look after his family.

Established in 2022, Kids Can Sing is a comprehensive Youth Arts Organization that is currently taking Fresno and Madera County by storm. Thanks to our incredible donors and sponsors, Kids Can Sing is proud to say that 19% of the students in today's productions are able to participate at little-to-no cost thanks to our scholarship program. Our organization firmly believes that students should never be limited by circumstances out of their control and seeks to offer assistance and promote inclusivity as much as possible, in order to give all students a safe space to freely express themselves. 

In just 4 years, Kids Can Sing has grown from a small youth chorus into an organization that offers youth choirs, singing and dance classes, musical theatre performance opportunities, camps, and more. The future is bright for this organization and we thank you all for your support. 

For more information on upcoming productions or classes, please visit our website www.kidscansing.com or follow us on Instagram @kidscansingfresno