First there was the book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," written by Roald Dahl in 1964. Then there was the sequel, "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator," penned by Dahl in 1972. Both became classic children's books and Willy Wonka became a household name.

A musical film adaptation of Dahl's first book was released in 1971, directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Another film version of the same book was released in 2005, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka.

And now there is a brand new stage version of the musical, titled simply, "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka" and you can see it at 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater, 23 S. Central Ave., Medford.

The hour-long version at the Craterian was written by Leslie Bricusse and Tim McDonald, with music and lyrics by Bricusse and Anthony Newley. It was commissioned and produced by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and played there Nov. 26-Dec. 26, 2004.

After a sold-out run, the producers decided to make the show available to audiences nationwide through the center's Imagination Celebration on Tour program. The company toured the East coast last year and came out West last month. Medford and Salem are the only places in Oregon where you can see the show.

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Jeffrey Scott Bailey is part of the touring company. The only member of the cast who was in the original 2004 production, he plays Mr. Bucket, Charlie's father. He also plays Mike Teavee. The character of Mr. Bucket was in the book, but not in the movie, Bailey said in a telephone interview. The show travels with five tech staff and seven actors. The actors play a host of different characters, which makes it exciting for the actors and the audience.

This is Bailey's seventh national tour of a different show. "I am the world's oldest 12-year-old," the 36-year old Bailey said in a telephone interview. "I am a little shorter. I was on a national tour of 'Fame' and played a high school freshman."

In general the stage version is much truer to the original book than the movies were, Bailey added. This was comforting to the Dahl estate.

"Roald Dahl was not happy with the original film," Bailey said. "Many liberties were taken. His widow was very concerned about the play."

But McDonald was in love with the original book and stayed very close to it in adapting it for the stage. When members of Dahl's estate showed up, "they really loved it."

And Bailey said children really love it, too. There are life-sized puppets in the show that are manipulated by the children's characters.

"Kids love them," Bailey said. And like any real good family-style show, the story works on several levels. There is something for adults, too.

The musical tells the story of Willy Wonka, the world's greatest candy maker, who has kept the wonders of his chocolate factory a secret. Wonka is finally ready to retire but he only will do so after he finds the perfect person to take his place.

A contest is held to allow children to visit the factory for the first time. Golden tickets are hidden inside five special Wonka bars. Those who find the tickets will be admitted into the chocolate factory for a tour led by Wonka and his band of Oompa Loompas.

The winners include the sweet-natured Charlie Bucket, the spoiled-rotten Veruca Salt, gluttonous Augustus Gloop, gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde, and television junkie Mike Teavee. Challenges arise, lessons are learned and the honesty of a hopeful heart wins the day.

"Leslie is brilliant in turning adult shows into children's shows and Disney shows to be produced by kids," Bailey said of Bricusse's work on the show.

"This is a professional production for children and the family." Bricusse had done "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and wanted to add songs for all of the children in the Willy Wonka story.

Bailey felt the depiction of the Mike Teavee was dated. He was originally a cowboy, harking back to the era of television westerns and Roy Rogers. And Bailey was also concerned about playing a child wielding guns.

"I was riding on the Metro after rehearsal," Bailey recalled, "and some mother talking to her son. She kept poking him, trying to get his attention because he was listening to his iPod and playing his Game Boy."

That became the idea for the updated version of Mike Teavee. "He's plugged in." Bricusse gave him a new song, "I see it all on TV."

As Bailey is a trained dancer, his character wound up being an amalgam of rap and MTV. "He's a little fried," Bailey said. "The kids get him. Leslie was so supportive to put the changes in."

Bailey acknowledges that it's a challenge to get children's attention with live theater. "You're competing with 'The Revenge of the Sith' and Imax," Bailey said. "And those tickets are cheaper."

But he recalled with great joy the time the show played for 850 first-graders. "They were silent. No one moved." When the characters on stage made it clear it was time to laugh, "the first graders let go and had a blast. It's being a different kind of rock star."