By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

When Marion High School announced its spring play, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” to students, teacher Ruth Springer said she had kids jumping at the chance to play some of the characters.

Coming off of Marion’s fall play, the more serious “The Sound of Music,” kids were excited to play straightforward, whimsical characters like Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt.

Christian Albin will play Willy Wonka.

“The students have had a really enjoyable time diving into these characters,” Springer said. “They’re less serious, so they get to have a little bit more fun.”

“Willy Wonka” will premiere Friday with a second showing on Saturday, both at 7 p.m., at Marion Performing Arts Center. The performance will be two acts with 13 musical numbers.

The script is based on a 1964 book by Roald Dahl but incorporates elements of 1971 and 2005 films. Among those elements are some of the special-effects transitions between scenes, and posters for the play include a warning for viewers sensitive to strobe and other intense lights.

“This musical in particular has a lot of special effects in it,” Springer said. “There shouldn’t be any issues, but it’s just in case. We want everyone to be able to enjoy the show.”

Marion students advertised the play with a commercial parodying “The Office,” called “The Factory,” on social media. They interviewed some of the characters and created their own interactions.

“It’s something that we started to do in the fall with “The Sound of Music,” just as a means to promote the shows,” Springer said. “It’s becoming a tradition.”

Tickets are $5 at County Seat Decorating Center or the door. Five random seats are assigned “golden tickets” and will be free.