The Golden Ticket
Available for Production
ORCHESTRATION
23 Players
3 flutes (all doubling piccolo and alto flute, 3rd flute also doubling bass flute); 1 oboe (doubling oboe d'amore); 1 clarinet (doubling bass clarinet, alto saxophone and baritone saxophone; 1bassoon (doubling contrabassoon);1 horn; 3 trumpets (3rd trumpet doubling flugelhorn); 1 tenor trombone (doubling euphonium); 1 tuba; 3 percussionists; piano (doubling celeste and harpsichord); harp; strings 2.1.1.1.1. (String section may be enlarged in larger theaters).
CHORUS
Adult Chorus of Gargoyles, Factory Workers, Townsfolk and Oompa Loompas
Children's Chorus of Turkish Squirrels (Squirrels may also be sung by adults in lieu of children)
ROLES
CHARLIE (Boy Treble)
WILLY WONKA / MR. KNOW (Bass Baritone)
GRANDMA GEORGINA / MRS. GLOOP (Soprano)
GRANDMA JOSEPHINE / MRS. TEAVEE (Contralto)
GRANDPA JOE (Tenor)
GRANDPA GEORGE / MR. BEAUREGARD (Bass)
MIKE TEAVEE (Countertenor)
CANDY MALLOW / SQUIRRELMISTRESS (Mezzo-soprano)
VERUCA SALT (Mezzo-soprano)
LORD SALT (Baritone)
VIOLET BEAUREGARD (Soprano)
AUGUSTUS GLOOP (Tenor)
Duration
115’
HISTORY
Commission by ALT: 2006
World Premiere: June 2010
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis | St. Louis, Missouri
European Premiere: October 2010, Wexford Festival Opera | Wexford, Ireland
Subsequent Production: March 2012, Atlanta Opera | Atlanta, Georgia
“Ash’s score added to the fun with its artful blend of simplicity and sophistication, leavened with sly references to music of Handel, Mozart, Wagner and other operatic composers.”
The Golden Ticket is a new opera by American composer Peter Ash and British librettist Donald Sturrock, based on Roald Dahl's best-selling modern fairy tale Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Since the story was first published in 1964, three generations around the world have grown up with this fable of a small boy, a chocolate factory and its mercurial owner, Willy Wonka. The critically acclaimed, tuneful and engaging evening-length work is a perfect introduction to opera for audiences of all ages.
“…a fanciful tale meets theater of the absurd meets opera. Sturrock’s libretto bubbles along with fun rhyming couplets, and the music is surprisingly sophisticated.”
Media
Audience Response
Sample from Recording
Press
Dallas Morning News: 'Golden Ticket' is surprisingly sophisticated
Los Angeles Times: Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' strikes right notes
Wall Street Journal: Best When It's Tangy, Not Sweet
The Chicago Tribune: 'Golden' is delicious in world premiere at St. Louis Opera
“In their adroit transformation of Dahl’s book, composer Peter Ash and librettist Donald Sturrock have reduced, caramelized, and transformed the tale of a good boy realizing his dream into an uproarious and endearing operatic adventure. Ash’s score brims with tuneful and contemporary ingredients, as well as deft nods to Wagner, Britten, Bernstein, and others. …Just how well this work functions can be discerned by the reactions of the audience, who guffaw at the clever wordplay and devour every morsel of this affecting operatic candy.”
“Donald Sturrock’s libretto captures the wit, wizardry and wonder of Dahl’s story… American composer Ash has produced a fun-filled score with a zippy, contemporary ambience that makes room for a tune or two you can remember and deft allusions to past operas.”
“The opera’s best music is edgy and snappy, its astringent orchestration giving prominence to the winds and the brass, capturing the story’s restless unpredictability”
Materials
Full Score (Act I)
Full Score (Act II)
Perusal Materials Available Upon Request
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