Colfax family lands roles for run of ‘Willy Wonka’

Charlie Bucket (Gabriel Lisonbee) oogles the shiny new candy made by Willy Wonka (Jim Sato).

It isn’t every day you get to feast your eyes on giant lollipops, giant sparkly taffy and a life-size giant gobstopper machine on a Willy Wonka stage set.

Nor do you often get to witness a Colfax family, the Lisonbees, light up that stage with the all-American ditties of “Willy Wonka.”

But for the next two weeks, the Regional Theatre of the Palouse (RTOP) will perform this classic musical with a host of local talent.

Charlie Bucket (Gabriel Lisonbee) and his father Mr. Bucket (Jared Lisonbee) chat with their ailing grandma.

The show runs Nov. 5 through 7 and 12 through 14, with all shows beginning at 7:30 p.m. Matinees will be at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Performances will be held in the RTOP Theatre at 122 N. Grand Avenue in Pullman.

The show stars long-time RTOP actor Jim Sato as Willy Wonka. Gabriel Lisonbee plays the lead role of Charlie Bucket, the impoverished child who lands a “golden ticket,” qualifying him for a once in a lifetime tour of the famous Willy Wonka chocolate factory.

His parents Shairylann and Jared act as Mr. and Mrs. Bucket, and their daughter, Syrenna, was cast as an Oompa-Loompa.

The four-member Lisonbee family has now auditioned together, been cast together, driven to rehearsal together and rehearsed together for the past two months.

The time spent assembling their roles together has brought them closer as a family, with that same intimacy reflected on stage, said RTOP managing director John Rich.

“It has been really special,” Jared Lisonbee added.

And to complete the Lisonbee contribution to Willy Wonka, Shairylann happens to be pregnant. Rich said they were open to Mrs. Bucket being pregnant on stage.

“Why not?” he asked.

A quick interview with Charlie had him grinning from ear to ear as he detailed his chipper role. For the role he wears a smart woven beret and some brown tweed pants for the show, true to his dapper, but poor, stage image.

Lisonbee’s acting skills caught the eye of Rich, who noticed him in a previous RTOP production, Annie Get Your Gun, this summer.

Rich said his only one precaution about casting Gabriel as Charlie Bucket was to make sure the 13-year-old’s voice doesn’t change.

“You can’t change your voice until after Willy Wonka,” said Charlie with a laugh, mimicking the director talking to him about his voice.

Rich had nothing but happy things to say about the Lisonbees, pointing out that it has been his pleasure to cast them in RTOP plays more than once. They work well together, they are spirited and they are talented, he said.

“It’s so wonderful to have a family that is so tight and loving and kind and so supportive of each other,” he said.

When they found that Shairylann (Mrs. Bucket) is expecting another little Lisonbee, Rich didn’t hesitate to work the baby into the plot.

“Sure, why couldn’t the Buckets have another one?” he said with a laugh.

Jared Lisonbee said the whole family coming to rehearsal has been a welcome chance for them to work together toward a common goal.

While it isn’t “quality time” in the sense of getting to spend one-on-one time with each other, the chance to work on lines and songs as a group is healthy, Lisonbee said.

Tickets are $15 for adults in advance and $17 at the door. Children 12 and under are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the RTOP business office at (509) 334-0750.