Yahoo News John Stamos Debuts Song for ‘Willy Wonka’ Musical Parody
Actor and musician John Stamos is known for lending his talents to bands like The Beach Boys, but now he’s going in a very different direction. Stamos has recorded a song for Willy’s Candy Spectacular, an upcoming live musical that takes inspiration from a disastrous Willy Wonka-inspired event in Scotland earlier this year. He sings on a new track the production released Monday.
The event that inspired the musical made headlines after it used lush, artificial intelligence-generated photos to attract customers to what it billed as an “immersive experience” that would transport Willy Wonka fans to a “magical realm.” In reality, this “immersive experience” was held at a shabby warehouse in Glasgow, Scotland, that was so depressing attendees compared it to a meth lab.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
AMC Theatres, GameStop Shares Pop After Meme Stock Investor "Roaring Kitty" Touts Stake in Latter
Spotify Hikes Prices of Premium Plans Again as Streaming Inflation Continues
BBC Acquires Annette Bening, Sam Neill Peacock Whodunit 'Apples Never Fall'
This viral news story inspired The Little Mermaid Live producer Richard Kraft, and his Kraft-Engel Productions, to turn that event into a musical parody.
The song featuring Stamos explores the end of the world, linking it to the disastrous viral Wonka experience. Other songs released Monday include “Dreamed to Dream” which features TikTok singers The Sharpe Family Singers and Kirsty Paterson, who played the sad Oompa Loompa in the actual Willy Wonka viral event.
“We love musicals with epic opening numbers. And we thought — what could be more epic than John Stamos singing about the end of humanity and linking our species’ demise to an underwhelming immersive experience in Scotland?” said songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, known for ABC’s Once Upon a Time.
The parody musical features songs from Riki Lindhome, Tova Litvin, and Doug Rockwell and Daniel Mertzlufft. It is expected for a launch later this year, with a stage reading set for the Edinburgh Fringe Fest in August.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
