The Willy Wonka experience is back… and creepier than ever! ‘Sad Oompa Loompa’ reprises her viral role at American reincarnation of disastrous Glasgow event
The Willy Wonka experience that went viral for all the wrong reasons is back – and this time it’s even creepier.
The shockingly bad event was brought back to life last night in a shadowy warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, drawing a small crowd of spectators who paid $44 each to attend.
The group, who collectively called themselves ‘The Unknown’, went full throttle to recreate the event in Glasgow.
Kirsty Paterson, the actress who went viral for her painful performance as Oompa Loompa in the original, was the main attraction, and this time guests were treated to four jelly beans instead of just one.
Despite a well-stocked bar selling chocolate-covered mushrooms, the event failed to impress. Again.
She is back! Kirsty Paterson reprized her role as the ‘sad Oompa Loompa’ from the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience, this time in a shadowy warehouse in Los Angeles
Last night’s Los Angeles event was based on the disastrous Glasgow original, with sparse decorations and no staff
“We wanted to be as true to the original as possible,” one of the anonymous organizers told DailyMail.com. ‘We thought there was brilliance in the creation of the Glasgow event.
“There’s a saying, ‘It’s so bad it’s good,’ and I think that’s what we really wanted to bring to light here.”
There was more alcohol available than chocolate at Sunday’s event as organizers rushed in with bottles of spirits as the doors opened.
An energetic actor playing Uncle Joe in an ill-fitting white wig was rolled around in a makeshift bed and screamed for his nephew Charlie.
Paterson perked up for her American fans and performed the Oompa Loompa dance
Actress Kirsty Paterson looks unimpressed as she performs Oompa-Loompa experiments at Glasgow event in February
Americans lined up for photos with Paterson at the Hollywood event on Sunday
One of the stranger attractions at Sunday’s LA event was an actor playing a sleepy Uncle Joe. He was wheeled around on a bed on wheels
Paterson was joined by a cast of other deranged-looking Oompa Loompas carrying signs demanding “reparations.” She previously complained about not being paid by Glasgow organisers
The Hollywood event wasn’t much more impressive than the original in Glasgow, but organizers say it was meant to be just as bad
The bizarre decorations for the stage included whimsical inflatable gummy bears
This time, ticket holders were entitled to four jelly beans – three more than in the Glasgow disaster
Another bizarre appearance at the LA event was a male actor playing Uncle Joe in a makeshift bed that was wheeled around
The Los Angeles event drew a small crowd of spectators, many of whom said they were intrigued by the disaster in Scotland
LA organizers also brought the creepy ‘man with a mirror’ back to life. The original attraction (seen on the right in Glasgow) was one of the scarier features of the event
In true LA style, chocolate covered mushrooms were on sale at the event
Participants entering the sketchy warehouse were greeted with a purple Wonka sign and a short green carpet that ended at a bar station.
The only cheerful decorations were the elaborate balloons and lights.
Two angry Oompa Loompas marched in unison with signs that read, “WE WANT OUR REPAIRS” and “NO FUNDS, NO CHOCOLATE.”
There was only one vendor selling confectionery, but chocolate covered mushrooms were available at the bar.
A DJ provided entertainment for the crowd and at the end of the evening there were some musical acts.
Paterson brightened up for fans who lined up to take selfies with her outside the warehouse
Some Americans who attended the event did so for the sole purpose of having their picture taken with Paterson, an unlikely celebrity
Two families who had bought tickets, seemingly unaware of the Glasgow debacle, walked out within minutes of arriving.
Event organizers said they had sold about 150 tickets for Sunday’s event, no doubt helped by the false claim that Timothée Chalamet, who recently played Wonka in a movie, would make a surprise appearance.
Instead, Chalamet’s “apparition” was on a birthday decoration poster taped to the warehouse wall.
Organizers said the LA event was supported by artist Banksy, but offered no other evidence to support the claim.
The star of Sunday’s show was Paterson, who posed for photos with fans who had come to the event for the sole purpose of being photographed next to the “sad uncle.”
“There are definitely elements here that are just as bad as the Glasgow event with the decorations, but just the energy here has a lot more positivity,” she told DailyMail.com.
“It’s been life-changing,” Paterson said. ‘I am a trained actress myself who struggled. The people I now meet and network with, I feel very happy!’ she said.
Rob Murray and Liz Schwartz said they each paid the $44, not knowing what kind of experience they were in for.
The original event was canceled midway through after furious parents demanded refunds
“I’ve delved into the Glasgow event so many times and it was just crazy how unplanned the event was,” Murray told DailyMail.com. “I know it’s a little voyeuristic, but it was just so entertaining.
‘I was really impressed with Kirsty because she became such a meme for just one photo of her looking down. I really love how she was able to celebrate that failure in a way. Based on that, we can all poke fun and parody our own events.”
One of the organizers who spoke to DailyMail.com said the whole idea for LA’s version was to cash in on how disastrous Glasgow was.
“This is a celebration of absurdity and a celebration of art,” he said. ‘While the event in Glasgow itself caused some frustration for parents and children, it brought great joy to everyone around the world and we wanted people to take part in it.’
He added that while the Glasgow event used a free version of ChatGPT to generate a script for the Wonka actors, the LA team spent $20 for the upgraded version to generate a new script.
LA’s version of the script came with a new character named ‘Megan’, who would become Wonka’s new protégé.
‘We have spared no expense!’ he said laughing.
Guests at Sunday’s event were treated to musical acts and a DJ