Actor Noah Weisberg adds his own magic as Candy Man Willy Wonka

Film, stage and television actor Noah Weisberg plays Willy Wonka when Broadway in Boston brings "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to the Opera House Jan. 8-20.

Most children, and many adults for that matter, would jump at the chance to tour a chocolate factory and win a lifetime supply of candy if all it took was finding a golden ticket in their favorite chocolate bar.

So when kooky candy maker Willy Wonka decides it’s time to throw open the doors to his long-cloistered manufacturing plant, with its workforce of dedicated Oompa Loompas, a line forms in no time. There will be only five golden ticket winners, however, and luckless little Charlie Bucket is determined to be one.

He knows just the place to look to – a local candy shop run by none other than a disguised Wonka himself, who is soon impressed not only by Charlie’s devotion to sweets, but also by the boy’s knowledge of all things Willy Wonka.

The public’s first knowledge of Wonka came in British author Roald Dahl’s 1964 children’s novel of the same name, which has been adapted into two feature films – 1971’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” starring Gene Wilder, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” with Johnny Depp in 2005 – and a 2017 Broadway musical starring Christian Borle.

Now on a national tour that will begin performances at the Boston Opera House on Jan. 8, the stage show features the classic Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse songs (“The Candy Man,” “Pure Imagination,” “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket”) from the 1971 movie, plus new songs by the Tony Award-winning team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (“Hairspray”).

Film, stage and television actor Noah Weisberg (Brett, “Modern Family”) plays Wonka on the tour. By telephone recently from Toronto, Weisberg talked about what it’s like to portray such an iconic character, and more.

Q: How does this stage production differ from the film adaptations?

A: We all grew up loving this story so we want to be true to that while also giving it something extra. On the first day of rehearsal, our director, Jack O’Brien, who is an amazingly gifted director of musicals and plays, said, “I’m so proud of what we did in New York, but we’re still working on this show.”

The road sets have been upped from Broadway and are even more magnificent now. And Jack came back out to see the tour again a couple of months into our run and reshaped the show again. He’ll be back in February, too. Jack’s constantly reexamining things. This show could easily be just fluff, but not with Jack directing. He wants us to take the show to a new level of honesty.

Q: Are you a fan of the films?

A: I’m a big fan of the original movie and also the Dahl book. As a fan of the source materials, I was worried at first that this show might ruin the story. It definitely does not, however. And now I realize that as much as there is to love about the book and the first movie, they were flat surfaces.

On stage it is almost like going on a tour of a real chocolate factory. We get to deepen the story, too. And the live show has tremendous energy, because it plays off the audience. Whether people know the story coming in or not, they are taken on a wonderful ride filled with twists and turns.

Q: What do you think of Willy Wonka?

A: When I got this part, the first thing I had to decide was whether or not to re-watch the Gene Wilder movie version which I had loved as a kid. I finally decided not to watch it again. I think Willy Wonka is more like a big kid than an eccentric or otherworldly character.

Willy decides to find someone to take over the factory from him because the factory doesn’t make him happy anymore, and he is becoming bitter. The five kids are on job interviews to see who Willy will leave the factory to. I understand Willy completely. He loves what he does, but it’s hard. Playing Willy is like therapy for me.

Q: Are you basing any of your Wonka on what Wilder, Depp or Borle did in the role?

A: I haven’t seen the Johnny Depp movie and I didn’t see Christian Borle in New York, although I’ve loved him in other roles. When I was cast, I knew I would do what actors do and bring myself to the role. That said, people at the stage door often tell me, “You have a Gene Wilder quality.” It’s a great compliment, of course, even though I’m not always sure exactly what it means.

Jack O’Brien has said similar things, too. When he saw me at the casting call, Jack remembers saying, “Get me one of those.” They did and Jack was happy, and so was I. Only Gene Wilder could do Gene Wilder, though, so I’m just doing my own version of Willy Wonka.

Q: Sammy Davis Jr., had his only number-one hit with “The Candy Man,” which he took to the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks in June 1972. What’s it like doing the song now?

A: In the show, “The Candy Man” is the set-up for everything in the story. In the 1971 movie, it was the candy store owner’s theme song, his commercial. Now, Willy Wonka sings it as he is trying to find someone to be the new candy man. As he gets his mojo back, however, the ensemble singers join in and we do the old commercial, which gives Willy back his confidence.

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Sammy Davis Jr. He was a great singer and an amazing entertainer. So when I started working on “The Candy Man,” the first thing I had to do was to learn not to say “groovy lemon pie” like Sammy did, but “strawberry lemon pie,” which is the actual lyric.

“Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”

WHEN: Jan. 8-20

WHERE: Boston Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston

TICKETS: Start at $44.50

INFO: 1-866-870-2717; BroadwayInBoston.com