IT was crunch time for pupils after weeks of rehearsals saw them take to the stage with a performance of Billy and the Biscuit Factory.
Year 4 students at West Park Academy delighted a packed audience of family and friends with their tasty treat of a tale based on the Charlie and Chocolate Factory book by Roald Dahl.
Pupil Sophie Storey took on the leading role as Billy Locket a kind hearted wafer loving eight-year-old who along with four other children, including overeater Georgie Porgie, television obsessed Kevin Teevee, gum chewer Scarlet Beauregard and spoilt brat Veronica Pepper, finds a golden ticket to visit Mr Billy Bonkers biscuit factory.
Teacher Alex Nelson who directed the performance said: “The play was the culmination of our Year 4 project on chocolate – the children have been looking at different types of chocolate, where it comes from, what is made of, its health implications and fair trade as well as undertaking scientific experiments on its states of matter.
“They have also been reading Charlie and Chocolate Factory but as we couldn’t do a direct copy of Roald Dahl’s work we tweaked it slightly while still retaining all the fun of the original story.
“All our young actors have been magnificent, especially some of the quieter ones in class who have really excelled on the stage, and I think everyone watching had a really enjoyable time.”
Alex Lennie, nine, as Mr Bonker, opened the show with a solo rendition of Pure Imagination from the 1971 Gene Wilder film followed by ensemble cast performances of The Candy Man, Ooompah Loompah and I Want it Now.
“I was a bit nervous singing all on my own,” said Alex, of Darlington.
“I have only seen the Johnny Depp version of the film so I didn’t really know all the songs but I enjoyed singing them and learning all about chocolate.”
Principal Mrs Catherine Thompson added: “It was an absolutely super show.
“You could see just how much the children enjoyed performing for the audience and our teachers have done a wonderful job throughout the whole project.”