Daniel Quadrino as Mike Teavee (Joan Marcus)
Something sweet awaits right around the corner, and in this case, it is the new production of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory National Tour. After a three year run at London's Theater Royal Drury Lane, the show was reworked for a Broadway bow in April 2017 and closed in January 2018. Although it did not run long on Broadway, the show launched a national tour in September 2018 and is now touring the country. There is also an Australian production planned for 2019.
Before its next stop in Philadelphia one of the stars of the show, Daniel Quadrino, who plays the devilish Mike Teavee in this new production, chats with RyeTheNewsGuy.com about the new touring production and what you can expect to see.
The show is making it's Philadelphia premiere at the Academy of Music from Tuesday, November 6- Thursday, November 18. Tickets start at $20--for more information visit kimmelcenter.org.
What has it been like to play Mike Teavee in this new national tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Being able to portray an iconic character like Mike Teavee has been an absolute pleasure, and figuring out where Mike and I are similar has been an fun challenge. Playing someone as bratty and high energy and getting to tap into my middle school high school bully onstage eight times as week keeps me in stitches (in the wings).
Where did you gather inspiration for your character?
I got my inspiration for Mike from both films. The root of Mike stays true in all adaptations of this amazing story. I personally tapped into my youthful self and asked my family for stories of my bratty years. I also watched a lot of 90s sitcom/cartoons with bratty young kids that were central characters (Hey! Arnold, The Rugrats, Recess etc.).
How do you prepare for a role such as Mike every night?
Preparing for to play Mike every night I need to make sure my voice and my body are physically warm. I do a vocal warm up before every show as well as a workout at the start of my day. Once I put the wig and costume on, I transform into the little terror that is Mike Teavee.
As an actor what’s the hardest part of being on tour?
The hardest thing about being on tour is being away from my family and friends for an extended period of time. Frequent FaceTime dates are absolutely necessary to stay in touch with everyone back in NY. NYC will always be my home and leaving for a year is hard but being away already has taught me that I will always be a New Yorker at heart.
Is this the same production we saw on Broadway or are there changes? Could you give us some details on what might have changed?
The production has changed SO much from Broadway. It is still the magical story of Charlie that we all know and love but they have updated the set and created BEAUTIFUL additions to the story with colorful LED screens, a new chocolate room, and video projections in this updated version. Mrs. Teavee and I also have a new song that was not in the Broadway production, which was very exciting to be the first set of Teavee’s to do this in front of an audience.
Lastly, what has it been like to work under the direction of the incomparable Jack O’Brien?
Everyone always says if you get the chance to work with Jack O’Brien you are so lucky, but I just didn’t realize how lucky I actually was until we started rehearsing in NY. The room he runs is fun, focused, determined, and absolutely inspiring. Getting to work as closely with him as we all did on this project was more than dream come true. I learned so much just seeing him work and figuring out things on his feet. Jack has a way with words and when he speaks about the show it inspired me to go and do my “homework” and explore the character and the world of Charlie and the Chocolate factory in ways I didn’t even know were possible.