Audition Central: Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR.
Script: Veruca Salt
SIDE 1
PHINEOUS TROUT
Ladies and gentlemen, the worldwide rush for Wonka Bars is getting bigger by the minute. It seems a second Golden Ticket has been found.
(WONKA gestures for Veruca's Golden Ticket to light)
(PHINEOUS TROUT)
We're off to our live remote in São Paulo, Brazil, where things are "sweet" for Veronica Salt.
(VERUCA and MR. SALT, her father, enter.)
VERUCA
That's Veruca, you imbecile! Veruca, Veruca, Veruca!
PHINEOUS TROUT
(purposefully ignoring VERUCA)
So, Mr. Salt, I understand you "sweetened" Veruca's chances with a little assistance?
MR. SALT
As soon as my little girl told me that she simply had to have one of those Golden Tickets, I bought hundreds of thousands of Wonka Bars. I'm in the nut business - peanuts, cashews, but mainly Brazil nuts. So I had my factory girls stop shelling Brazil nuts and start shelling wrappers.
VERUCA
Daddy, that hideous reporter said my name wrong, on live television! Can't you get him fired?
MR. SALT
For you dear, anything... anyway... after days of shelling chocolate, one of my factory gals finally found the blasted Golden Ticket. I let her take the lucky piece of chocolate home to her seventeen kids...
PHINEOUS TROUT
(sarcastically)
How generous!
VERUCA
Daddy, now he's being sarcastic! I want him fired. Fired! You hear me? Fired, fired, fired!
END
SIDE 2
AUGUSTUS
Here's my Golden Ticket, Mr. Wonka. Ah, ah, choo!
MRS. GLOOP
He has a cold.
VERUCA
(rudely interrupting)
My name is Veruca Salt.
WONKA
I always thought a veruca was a wart, but you don't look like a wart at all... more of a mole, or perhaps a bunion-
MR. SALT
How ya' doing, Wonka. Salt's the name and I'm nuts! Nuts for nuts that is! An operation like this must go through a million nuts...
WONKA
Make that a million and one - your ticket?
VERUCA
Here's your silly ticket. Can I have it back after the tour?
WONKA
(tearing up the Golden Ticket)
Of course you can, my dear. Of course.
(beat)
Violet Beauregarde!
VIOLET
I hear ya'. Here's our ticket.
(VIOLET snaps her gum.)
WONKA
There is no gum chewing allowed on the tour.
VIOLET
But you make gum.
MRS. BEAUREGARDE
Mr. Wonka asked you to remove your gum. Do we need to negotiate?
VIOLET
Psycho babble whatever.
(VIOLET places the gum behind her ear.)
WONKA
Mike Teavee?
(beat)
Mr. Mike Teavee and guest?
MIKE
Hold your pantyhose, a commercial's coming up.
MS. TEAVEE
Here's our ticket, Mr. Wonka.
WONKA
Scrumptious. Oh, and Mike, there's no television reception in the factory.
MIKE
None?
WONKA
None whatsoever...
(laughing maniacally)
Chuck Bucket?
GRANDPA JOE
It's Charlie, Mr. Wonka. Charlie Bucket. Here's our ticket.
WONKA
(to CHARLIE)
So you're Charlie Bucket? Odd coincidence you finding your ticket just in time...
GRANDPA JOE
Now see here, Wonka, if you're saying our ticket is a phony-
WONKA
Pleasure to meet you, too, Mr.-
GRANDPA JOE
You know me, Wonka.
WONKA
Do I? Well then! Let's proceed. We start with a contract.
(A giant contract drops from above.)
Raise your right hand... "I hereby swear not to touch, malign, assign, clutch, share, tear, or wear, none such, party of the first part, and so on..." Please sign below.
MR. SALT
Not without my lawyer! Let me give him a ring.
END
SIDE 3
WONKA
All of my workers are Oompa-Loompas from Loompaland.
MRS. BEAUREGARDE
Now see here Wonka, I teach geography and-
WONKA
Then you know all about Loompaland - with its thick jungles infested by hornswogglers and snozzywangers, and those terrible wicked whangdoodles!
(AUGUSTUS sneaks a larger taste of the chocolate.)
VERUCA
Whangdoodles? There's no such thing!
WONKA
There certainly are, my dear - and a whangdoodle would just love to sink its sharp, vicious fangs into you!
(Overwhelmed, AUGUSTUS kneels next to the Chocolatefall, slurping recklessly.)
Augustus, my chocolate must never be touched by human hands!
AUGUSTUS
Too late!
( TOO MUCH CHOCOLATE begins. AUGUSTUS slurps, wildly.)
GRANDPA JOE
Great, he's gonna give his cold to millions of people!
(VIOLET defiantly blows a bubble behind WONKA's back.)
AUGUSTUS
It's so good! I think I've had too much chocolate. Ah... Ah... Ah... choo!!!
(AUGUSTUS falls into the smelting pot, head first. His legs kick once, then twice, then he freezes à la Magic Shell.)
GOLDEN TICKET WINNERS
Augustus! Augustus!
MIKE
The chocolate's frozen, like Magic Shell!
VIOLET
He looks like an Easter Bunny!
(An OOMPA-LOOMPA enters.)
WONKA
We've had an early revelation and lost a child in the chocolate smelter. It's a shame! - the boy really seemed to know about food. Alas, take Mrs. Gloop's Poop to the strawberry dipping room and heat him to precisely 102 degrees Fahrenheit... or is that Celsius?... no, Fahrenheit? Yes... 102 degrees Fahrenheit! - but no higher - or he may spontaneously boil - and that would be a tragedy.
MRS. GLOOP
Because Augustus vould be damaged?
WONKA
My dear, Augustus was damaged long ago - the tragedy would be the wasted chocolate! Goodbye, Mrs. Gloop, and good luck.
(WONKA gestures, and Augustus's Golden Ticket dims.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, please follow closely as we continue our tour...
END