Chocoholic

Thanks a bunch, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. You've taken a perfectly good childhood memory—Gene Wilder sing "Pure Imagination" in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory—and replaced it with your own mocking, nefarious version from the violent South Park episode "Imaginationland." Seriously, thank you. That saccharine Wilder number never really fit in with the cynical detritus filling my head, so your song—simply singing "Imaginaaaaaaation" over and over—fits much better. Parents, however, might want to keep their kids believing in the magical power of imagination. For them, Casa Mañana Children's Playhouse offers a live musical version of the Roald Dahl children's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with a lot less death, mayhem and ball-sucking than the typical South Park. The show opens at 7 p.m. Friday and runs through May 18 at Casa Mañana Theatre, 3101 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth. For ticket info, call 817-332-2272 or visit casamanana.org/chocolatefactory.htm.
Fridays, 7 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 & 7 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Starts: May 2. Continues through May 18, 2008