As this year’s musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory gets closer to opening night the cast and crew are hard at work to light up the Schubert stage on November 8th and 9th. I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelly Blute, who will be playing Wonka, and Sofia Urios-Siebert, a senior member of the crew!
Sofia is a member of SHA Musical crew, more affectionately known as SHA crewsicle, and has been for the past three years. In conjunction with the rest of the crew, Sofia has contributed tireless hours to making the stage light up, the actors sparkle, and the whole show take shape.
Which crew are you a part of? Why did you choose it?
“I am a part of costume crew. I chose it because I thought it would be fun to be under the stage with the actors.”
Which SHA crew do you think is the most difficult? Is there a particular reason why?
“I definitely think Costume Crew is the most difficult, but maybe that’s because I do it. This is because you are working with costumes and the actors and there are so many of both. It’s complicated making sure everyone has the right costume, and the actors always have a million questions that I can’t answer. There also are quick changes which is the most challenging part because you and the actor are both stressed.”
What are you most excited for during this year’s tech week?
“I’m most excited to see the costumes because I heard they are going to be very interesting. I’m also just excited to see the show and my friends in it because everyone is so talented.”
Kelly was generous enough to give us insight into her rehearsal process and highlights of the show thus far as a senior cast member. When she’s not at rehearsal, she still spends hours memorizing her lines and perfecting her songs to grace the stage.
What has been the hardest part about getting into character?
“Probably the point in the rehearsal process where you know your lines but still have to think about them, so it’s harder to actually get into character and deliver your lines in character because you have to keep thinking about what comes next.”
Is there anything you think will come as a surprise to your audience?
“We added a preshow number before the overture to give a little backstory on our version. It’s a really fun tap number that I bet not a lot of audience members will be expecting to see! Also, we have a female Wonka and a female Charlie, so any audience member who doesn’t go to SHA might not be expecting that.”
Whose costume is your favorite? Do you like yours?
“I think Sara Wilonski’s Mrs. Teavee costume is my favorite. Her character is so funny, and she carries around a flask the whole show basically like it is part of her costume, and it makes me laugh so hard. Also, the Oompa Loompa costumes are very funny and iconic. The costume I wore for the Durham Fair was very special… Not sure if it is my actual costume, but it was funny to perform in!”
Who is your favorite scene partner and why?
“I love all the scenes in Act II where I get to just run around with all the golden ticket winners and their families for basically the whole act without stopping. I don’t think I could pick just one person as my favorite scene partner; I love it when we are all on stage together. It is so fun and SO funny.”
If you were casting the show on Broadway, what must have actors and actresses would you cast?
“Honestly no idea because I can’t imagine any other actors besides the ones in the original Broadway cast. If you listen to the cast recording soundtrack, it all just sounds so good and the actors all work so well together and with the material.”
We wish the cast and crew good luck as they continue to prepare for their performances and can’t wait to see them on stage November 8th and 9th!
