Isabella’s golden ticket is a dream come true

Isabella and her brother meet Charlie Bucket and Willy Wonka. Picture: CONTRIBUTED

By Brendan Rees

A 13-year-old of Berwick has been left awestruck after being given exclusive access to meet the stars of Melbourne’s latest Broadway musical, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.

The youngster’s mum Jackie Badelian won a national competition through The Coffee Club recently, allowing her daughter, Isabella, to fulfil her dream of meeting the cast of Roald Dahl’s classic tale at The Glen shopping centre on Thursday 19 September.

“My daughter Isabella has been a fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory since she saw it for the first time age 1. It was the first movie she ever watched,” says Jackie.

Being inspired so much by the movie from such a young age, she dreams to be in a Broadway Show just like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Isabella has already participated in 13 musicals and is currently auditioning for Shrek and Frozen.

And she can’t wait to move to New York and work on Broadway when she’s old enough.

“She trains so hard each week in her musical theatre classes to make her dream come true!” Jackie said.

The Wonka car made an appearance; playing music from the popular soundtrack and showering the venue with chocolate-scented bubbles.

The Coffee Club catered the event with a plethora of treats including Nutella croissants, hot chocolates, Brookies, chocolate cake and more.

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is now playing in Melbourne.