Actor and musician John Stamos is known for lending his talents to bands like The Beach Boys, but now he’s going in a very different direction. Stamos has recorded a song for Willy’s Candy Spectacular, an upcoming live musical that takes inspiration from a a disastrous Willy Wonka-inspired event in Scotland earlier this year. He sings on a new track the production released Monday.
The event that inspired the musical made headlines after it used lush, AI-generated photos to attract customers to what it billed as an “immersive experience” that would trasport Willy Wonka fans to a “magical realm.” In reality, this “immersive experience” was held at a shabby wearhouse in Glasgow, Scotland that was so depressing that attendees compared to a meth lab.
This viral news story inspired The Little Mermaid Live producer Richard Kraft, and his Kraft-Engel Productions, to turn that event into a musical parody.
The song featuring Stamos explores the end of the world, linking it to the disastrous viral Wonka experience.
“We love musicals with epic opening numbers. And we thought — 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?” said songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, known for ABC’s Once Upon a Time.
The parody musical features songs from Riki Lindhome, Tova Litvin and Doug Rockwell and Daniel Mertzlufft. It is expected for a launch later this year, with a stage reading set for the Edinburgh Fringe Fest at in August.
