Willy Wonka Glasgow parody musical unveils first track starring John Stamos

Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical, a spoof production steered by Richard Kraft and inspired by the viral failure of Glasgow’s immersive Willy Wonka Experience from earlier this year, has debuted its opening number starring John Stamos.

Created by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner - known for their contributions to ABC’s Once Upon A Time and Broadway’s First Date - the explosive debut sees Stamos before a variety of dramatic green-screen backdrops as he traces the destruction of life and society as we know it back to the failed Glasgow event.

“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?” the production duo told Variety, noting their affinity for epic opening numbers.

“After playing Willy Wonka in concert at the Hollywood Bowl, I was happy to join in when that event’s director, Richard Kraft, asked me to record a demo of the opening number to his upcoming stage show, Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical, spoofing the Wonka rip-off fiasco in Glasgow,” Stamos said according to Variety. “Any opportunity to sing a batshit crazy song about The End of Days and to be pelted by candy is something to savour.”

The debut release comes paired with two other preview numbers, including ‘Where Dreams Go to Fly’ written Emmy Award-winners Doug Rockwell and Tova Litvin and ‘Dreamed to Dare’ by Daniel Mertzlufft, the viral Tik Tok creator behind 2021’s Ratatouille the Musical. Additional tracks will be released every Sunday moving forward.

“The process of creating a brand-new musical, which usually spans years, is being condensed into just a couple of months, with the team sharing their progress through social media,” Kraft said, known for his work directing both The Nightmare Before Christmas and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory live in concert at the Hollywood Bowl.

Willy’s Candy Spectacular: A Parody Musical will premiere with a stated reading at the Edinburgh Fringe Fest at the Pleasance King Dome from August 9 to August 26.