Actor Will Take Cues From Gene Wilder In Upcoming Role As Willy Wonka

“I like over-the-top character roles,” said the actor, who is currently gearing up to play perhaps one of the most-iconic characters of all time: Willy Wonka in Falmouth Theatre Guild’s upcoming “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka.” The show is a musical adaptation of the 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and contains songs from the 1971 movie “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” plus other songs written especially for the show.

A 2005 graduate of Barnstable High School, Mr. McDermott caught the acting bug early on, recalling an elementary school costume contest in which he won first prize for a clown costume and a few improvisational moves.

“My mom and I made this clown costume with a big rainbow wig, oversized pants and rainbow suspenders,” he said. As one of the finalists in the contest, young Keirnon was showing off the front of his costume when he was asked to turn around and show the back. “I wiggled my butt, and everyone laughed,” he added. When he ended up winning the contest, Keirnon realized “it’s kind of fun entertaining people and making them laugh.”

Mr. McDermott continued to act, write plays and act out scenes with friends while growing up. He recalled reenacting scenes from “Jurassic Park” with his friends in middle school and performing in a production of “The Wizard Of Oz,” where he had his first speaking role—as a munchkin.

Mr. McDermott became more serious about performing in high school where he worked with legendary Barnstable High School teacher and drama coach John Sullivan, continuing on to Salem State College where he majored in theater and costume design and also trained in special effects makeup.

In addition to making people laugh, Mr. McDermott appreciates performing, as it provides a chance to bring happiness to others. “Especially nowadays, people need that moment to smile and escape their real-world troubles for an hour or two,” he said, adding, “Theater offers a realm of possibilities where anything can happen.”

Mr. McDermott said he enjoys exaggerated character roles because they give him more to do: “If you are doing too much of a straight character, it’s kind of boring. I like sidekicks because there’s a bit more wiggle room and you can get away with a bit more. The whole show isn’t on your shoulders.”

Noting that with many iconic roles you have to stay true to the character and perform in a way that’s recognizable as that character, Mr. McDermott said, “I always like the big characters. Especially if I can do a weird voice or weird body language. That’s fun for me. I’m very much a character actor.”

In performing a role as beloved as Willy Wonka, Mr. McDermott acknowledged that one has to retain the parts of the role that people have become familiar with.

“The way that I think about it, with such iconic roles you have to keep certain aspects of it. Take ‘The Wizard of Oz’ for example. You want the Cowardly Lion to do the whole big voice thing and mannerisms, or people are going to notice that it’s missing,” Mr. McDermott observed, going on to liken the role of Willy Wonka to (appropriately) a bar of chocolate. “With chocolate bars, some people like them with nuts and some like them with nougats or caramel. You still have the fundamentals of the chocolate bar and you can add a little bit to it to change it up and make it your own, but it’s still basically the same thing.”

Mr. McDermott said he’s taking his influence for the role mostly from the 1971 film that starred Gene Wilder. “I’ll never be Gene Wilder, obviously. I like to put my own spin on the role but at the same time still base it off of him.”

In addition to leading golden ticket-wielding children through his candy factory, Mr. McDermott’s character acts as something of a narrator in Act 1 of the play, coming on stage at the start of the show to announce to the Oompa Loompa characters that the time has come for him to retire and providing narrative for some of the other scenes in Act 1.

While the role requires memorizing a lot of lines, Mr. McDermott said that’s easier for him to do while on his feet. “I’m much more of a physical actor, so I learn my lines best on my feet rather than just reading them over and over. It’s a lot of muscle memory. I can remember where the dialogue is going based on where I am on stage. For example, if I’m moving this way, then I’m saying this line.”

Since moving back to the Cape, Mr. McDermott has appeared in shows from Falmouth to Provincetown. In addition to the aforementioned roles, some of the performer’s favorite parts have included the prankster Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” King Arthur’s sidekick Patsy in “Spamalot” and Leo Bloom in “The Producers.”

“I’d love to play the Phantom of the Opera,” he said, “but no one around here’s ever going to get the rights to put that one on.”

Mr. McDermott encouraged people to get tickets in advance for “Willy Wonka,” as sales have been going well.

“Everybody has memories of this show, he said. “If you’re older, you might have grown up with the Gene Wilder version and even younger people still watch that one. With all the versions that have been done there’s a version for everyone, and here we are offering another version. For the kids it will be bright and musical and flashy, so they will be engrossed. It’s a multigenerational show; everyone can find something to enjoy about it.”

Under the direction of Lisa Jo Rudy and Victoria Santos, “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka” will run from April 26 to May 12 at Highfield Theatre with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 PM.

Tickets can be purchased through the Falmouth Theatre Guild’s website.