Every aspect of the theater was captivating.
When Cameron Tragesser first discovered performing on stage, he was quickly enraptured by every part of it. He wanted to act on stage, but also play the music, design the costumes and set, establish choreography and direct the scenes. Every part of it seemed so magical.
Soon, though, one part of the performance rose above the others — the music.
“That was what clicked with me most — that’s what I was best at, the musical side of things. That’s why I focused in on that specifically,” Tragesser said.
Musical theater has been part of Tragesser’s life ever since. The Indiana native and Ball State University graduate is currently touring as the musical director for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” a song-filled retelling of the classic Gene Wilder film and book by Roald Dahl. The performance is put on by Broadway in Indianapolis, and is the first time Broadway shows have returned to the city since before the pandemic.
Tragesser, who was raised in Tipton, returned to his home state on Tuesday for the opening of the musical at Clowes Memorial Hall, with a run lasting through Sunday. In advance of the performances, he shared a little bit about the life of a music director on tour and what audiences can expect from the show.
What led you to musical theater in the first place?
The earliest I can remember is being a little kid, and I went to a couple shows at Beef & Boards in Indianapolis. After seeing that, I remember thinking I wanted to do that. It looked fun. Soon after, the high school in Tipton was doing a production of “Annie Get Your Gun,” and my mom found out that they were looking for a couple of kids for some of the roles. I auditioned, and got it. I was Little Jake in that show, and from there, I caught the theater bug.
Where did it take you from there?
After that, I was basically doing shows constantly. That was what I wanted to do, all the way through elementary, middle, high school. I did Tipton Community Theater, and some stuff in Indianapolis. Once I went to college, I started as a music education major my freshman year, but very quickly realized I really missed doing theater.
What did you change it to?
I was lucky enough that I was inthe honors program at Ball State, and had some connections in the theater department, and they were supportive in helping me create a major, which was for musical theater musical direction.
When did you have the feeling that this could become a career for you?
All through college, I worked doing some theme park stuff at Cedar Point. That was my first professional kind of gig with music directing. Then I worked at Ball State in the theater department for three years. Eventually, it got to the point where I had been at Ball State for seven years, so I took a moment to go out and try and do some professional shows.
What shows did you do?
The first thing I did outside of Ball State was an associate conductor for a tour of “Elf: The Musical.” I saw that, and submitted. About three days later, they offered me a job. Then the rest kind of fell into place: “The SpongeBob Musical,” which is what I was on when COVID hit, and then I was able to get on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” for this season.
What is your role as a music director?
I, in addition to our music supervisor, anything that has to do with music, we make happen. We teach the cast their vocal parts, we rehearse the orchestra. Then I travel with the show and conduct, and for this one I play and conduct at the same time. Throughout the season, I have to maintain the show and make sure the cast stays clean.
What has it been like working on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”?
You might not think it because people are so familiar with it, and it’s such a light show, but musically, this show is very involved. We have songs from the original Gene Wilder movie, but the rest of the score is original music. The nature of it being a film adaptation, the score of it is very cinematic. The music almost never stops, it underscores the whole thing and helps drive the show. It has been challenging, because I conduct and play at the same time.
What can audiences expect from this show?
What’s great about this production is, it’s an adaptation of the film in some ways, so there’s a lot of nostalgia and familiarity there. It’s also been infused with a lot of source material from the book by Roald Dahl; it’s surprising how few people have read the book, and are more familiar with the movie. So there’s some new stuff that’s a little different than the movie.
IF YOU GO
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
What: A Broadway musical based on the beloved book and film featuring songs from the original film combined with an all-new score.
When: Through Sunday
Where: Clowes Hall, 4602 Sunset Ave., Indianapolis
Showtimes: 8 p.m. today; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: indianapolis.broadway.com
