Marc Shaiman
Opening
(On a cold Autumn evening a boy picks through rubbish at a dump on the edge of town. The boy is Charlie Bucket and he is looking for valuable things he can take home. Nearby, Mrs. Pratchett pushes her sweet stall and calls out her wares. Charlie watches hungrily as a crowd of workers eat their daily chocolate fix. Also watching is an old Tramp sitting in a broken telephone box.)

[MRS. PRATCHETT]
Chocolate! Chocolate!
Rots your teeth and makes you fat!
Get your lovely chocolate here!

[TRAMP, spoken]
Look at this mess!
People just guzzle up their chocolate and throw away their wrappers without the slightest thought.​

[CHARLIE, spoken]
I'm glad they do that.​

[TRAMP, spoken]
Glad?​

[CHARLIE, spoken]
If people didn't throw things away, I'd have nothing to pick up!

[TRAMP, spoken]
Very philosophical, I'm sure.​