There’s always a road not taken, and in the latest demo track video from Willy’s Candy Spectacular, the upcoming stage musical inspired by the disastrous viral Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow, Scotland, one Oompa Loompa considers what could have been had they just made a different life choice. In the video for “I Coulda Gone to Law School”, songwriter and actor Riki Lindhome (The Big Bang Theory) channels the experience of Kirsty Paterson, the performer whose real Oompa Loompa went viral earlier this year, and questions exactly how she got there. You can check it out for yourself below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“This song is for everyone who is, was, or has tried to be an actor,” Lindhome said. “When I saw the look on Kirsty Paterson’s face (the real sad Oompa Loompa actress), I just thought, ‘I’ve been there. We all have.’”
Paterson in particular went viral earlier this year when photos of the event landed online showing the Oompa Loompa character at the event working in a lab-style environment that some described as looking like a meth lab. The entire event made headlines for its presentation as what was billed by organizers as “a journey filled with wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every turn” though the reality ended up being little more than warehouse with few, underwhelming decorations.
“It was basically advertised as this big, massive Willy Wonka experience with optical illusions and big chocolate fountains and sweets,” attendee Eve Stewart told the BBC. “But when we got there, it was practically an abandoned, empty warehouse, with hardly anything in it.”
What is Willy’s Candy Spectacular?
Announced in March, Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody (formerly titled Willy Fest: A musical Parody) is a satirical musical production inspired viral Glasgow pop-event that took the internet by storm. Willy’s Candy Spectacular is produced by Kraft-Engel Productions and features a creative team that includes Riki Lindhome (Garfunkel and Oates, Another Period), Tova Litvin & Doug Rockwell (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Julie & The Phantoms), Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner (First Date, Once Upon a Time) and Daniel Mertzlufft (Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical, Grumpy Monkey: The Musical).
“From Broadway to street corner pop-ups, audiences have become obsessed with immersive experiences that enable them to be a part of the story,” Zachary and Weiner said in a statement. “But 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.”
“This could be Waiting For Guffman but with scam artists” Lindhome echoed.
“When the inspiration for a parody has a con artist, ChatGPT, a mysterious wedding and crying children, it’s hard to resist,” Litvin and Rockwell 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?”
Willy’s Candy Spectacular previously released videos for “Willy’s Candy Spectacular”, “the post-apocalyptic opening number that traces the downfall of civilization back to the disastrous events in Glasgow” featuring John Stamos, as well as “Where Dreams Go to Fly” and “Dreamed to Dare” as well as “I Was Never That Way” which featured an introduction from original Veruca Salt actress Julie Dawn Cole.
Willy’s Candy Spectacular is set to debut at the Edinburg Fringe Fest at the Pleasance King Dome from August 9th to the 26th.
