Karina Russell relishes her role as ‘brat’ Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Many children’s dreams of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory simply extend to the possibility of eating a stomach-stretching amount of delectable treats if they win an elusive Golden Ticket. But as a young girl, Karina Russell was instead fascinated by the idea that the story of a group of children gaining access to a wealth of sugary delights had a moral undertone. While her favourite Roald Dahl books as a child were The BFG and The Magic Finger, the 1964 children’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory resonated with her for a more mature reason. “I loved that there were rules and Willy Wonka was willing to reprimand those who weren’t following them. As a type-A personality child I was really into that,” Russell laughs. “I loved the message that the good kid won the big prize at the end, which represented happiness and health. I also think that is such an important message in this day and age where we are all so restricted by rules that are trying to help and save us, essentially.” Now, the 28-year-old Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduate is reliving her love of the tale, preparing to head back to Perth for her latest turn as “ultimate brat” Veruca Salt in the stage show. Speaking from Brisbane, where the production has just wrapped up after extending its season by two weeks, Russell says she is eagerly anticipating continuing her journey with the sweet spectacle — which features songs from the original film, including Pure Imagination, The Candy Man and I’ve Got a Golden Ticket. First cast in the show in 2018, Russell starred as spoilt heiress Salt, before going on to Melbourne for another season. But when the cast and crew made the move to Queensland early last year, the pandemic hit soon after and they were all sent home. “It was very bittersweet; we were closed before we were opened,” Russell recalls. “But here we are again for take two and it has been absolutely worth the wait.” After nearly 500 days away from the stage (Russell says one of the crew members made sure to keep count), it isn’t lost on the performer how lucky they’ve been to be able to put on the show at all, let alone with full audiences. “It was a strange feeling because our industry has been grieving and mourning the loss of so many shows and so many colleagues are out of work and we’ve felt this huge responsibility,” she says. “Currently we are the only commercial musical in Australia running, so we can feel the support rallying behind us.” However the love and support may not extend to her character, the infamous rich kid, whose demanding ways see her turfed out of the factory by squirrels as the tour progresses. As a self-confessed rule follower, Russell has embraced the chance to immerse herself in such an unlikeable character. “Fun is an understatement — she is the ultimate brat,” she laughs. “When you think of a bratty child, a lot of people’s minds would go to her. There are no limits in her lifestyle because she has never been told no and she is devilish and awesome and it is absolutely a dream come true to play her. I was a goody-two-shoes child, so with this role I can get away with a lot of things, that are socially unacceptable, on stage and it is a lot of fun.” While taking aim at a 12-year-old child for her less-than-endearing personality has been a staple of the story for decades, Russell says they tried to show more of her sensitive side. “I did a lot of work with the director Jeremy (Stanford) on adding more depth to her because there are some times in the show where Veruca gets to show her vulnerability,” she explains. “It’s exciting to add that in but she also meets her demise, and rightfully so, because she is awful.” In this version, Salt is the ballerina daughter of a Russian oligarch, and while Russell doesn’t get to consume real chocolate on stage, she does delight in her sweet costume: “It is absolutely divine. Who doesn’t want to go to work every day and wear a tiara and a tutu?” Growing up in the NSW coastal town of Umina Beach, Russell was just a toddler when she begged her parents to enrol her in tap dancing. They convinced her to wait for her third birthday. She didn’t forget and soon after she also took up ballet, jazz and piano lessons. A career in show business was a probable conclusion. “There was never even an option to do anything else,” she says. Fresh out of high school, Russell moved to Perth after being accepted at WAAPA. She later transferred over to contemporary dance (and graduated with that speciality) but always had a burning desire to find out more about musical theatre. “I honestly just thought it was a bit like the circus and you just kind of appeared in it,” she laughs. “I didn’t realise you could train in it.” But it was the encouragement of her peers that spurred Russell to pursue it as a career, after they voted her the “most likely to move into musical theatre”. “I took that as my ticket that other people believed in me,” she says. And so followed a turn in the Asian tour of musical Cats, before Charlie came calling. She hasn’t been back since graduating in 2014 but has plenty of plans for when she makes it out of quarantine. “I want to look at one of the sunsets again and I finally want to meet the quokkas,” Russell says. “I never did it when I was there, so my tickets are already booked.” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs from November 3-21 at Crown Theatre. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.

Karina Russell relishes her role as ‘brat’ Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

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