Just when you thought Christmas indulgence was over there was a new chocolate infestation hereabouts. It came courtesy of Cadbury Trebor Basset, in league with Wrington Youth Drama.

The audience was bombarded with choc bars hurled from the stage or handed out by
little folk in green wigs carrying bucket-loads of the stuff. But it was all such noisy, colourful fun.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has all of Roald Dahl's quirky humour with a moral underplot. If you were disobedient you fell into the river of chocolate!

A score of willing children worked very hard in two groups at each of the four performances. D'you remember Bonny Langford's brilliant performances as Violet Elizabeth Bott in Just William ? Well, when I saw Heather Bullen's Friday playing of yelling, footstamping Veruca Salt I was reminded of that. She came to a sticky end involving nuts and squirrels.

Full marks to the men enmeshed in this extravaganza. Peter Ellis as Willy Wonka had this amazing costume made by Fiona Green and inspired by the group. The programme cover reproduced a facsimile of the material. He played the part with just the right amount of eccentric authority. Mark Bullen's grey-faced, wheezy-voiced, limping Grandpa Joe was just a big kid at heart. Charlie Bucket played by Ellie Griffiths was a charming hero: polite and obedient whilst marvelling at the technology.

As for the clever scenery, the gloopy digestive sound effects and lighting to blow you away, it seemed to make sense. Without it, to quote Willy Wonka, "It's like poaching an egg without creeping into the woods and stealing an egg from a chicken".

The band Out of the Blue provided a cheerful accompaniment with such tunes as The Candyman. I must make special mention of Bill Dale's saxophone playing, probably because it's a favourite instrument of mine.

Thanks everybody for a cheerful oasis in grim old January.

Rosemary Hodges