Pella’s local theater troupe is bringing a classic to the stage during the holiday season for their final show of 2025. 

Union Street Players will present Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical! with seven total shows December 5th through the 13th at the Pella Community Center. Anastasia Hibbs, who is playing the role of Mrs. Gloop in the production, says that while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is well known from the movies made based on the story, their production will feature things left out of the films.

“One of the things that really makes this production stand out and makes people want to come to this, is that there’s a lot of music that they don’t know and there’s a lot of a storyline that they don’t know. There’s some fun little things in theater magic that we have going, and so they might think, ‘Oh, I don’t want to come because I kind of already know the storyline,’ but the music is so different, the characterization is so much different characterization and ways that we’re taking the characters and the kids are taking the characters that maybe people aren’t used to seeing that is worth the money and worth spending time to come to see.”

Hear from the cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical! on an upcoming Let’s Talk Pella. Find ticket purchasing information here.