Junior Reporter
Youth Journalism International
The humor adds to the blend of all the elements that combine to make a Broadway-worthy play. It is truly the idealist’s performance; the theater-goer who wants perfection will find it here.
The story, based on the book by Roald Dahl, centers around a young boy named James. He is kind and has a good sense of moral values. His parents were devoured by a rhinoceros when it got loose and they were trying to protect him. He is then forced to live with his greedy and self-centered aunts.While living with them, James is visited by a magician who gives him a spell that creates a peach of great proportions. The aunts want to make money off of the peach, but James and his talking insect friends run away with it and the chase is on.
The dance group Pilobolus added to the performance. Their gymnastics represented the natural forces in the play such as clouds, trees and animals.
The musical also features many top notch actors.
The two evil aunts Spiker and Sponge, played by Ruth Gottschall and Denny Dillon, respectively, provide comic relief, as they look funny together (one is short and stout, one is tall and thin), and sing well together.
The Centipede, played by Nick Gaswirth, is the pessimist who turns out to be all right in the end.
The most exceptional performer in the whole show is Justin Lawrence Hall, the 12-year-old who played James. He sang and danced well beyond his years.
The accompanying band is very talented. Their work is an aspect of the production that a lot of people take for granted, but these musicians really help this performance to stick for me. They had to deal with a variety of tempos and styles of music that weren’t easy and they handled it beautifully.
James and the Giant Peach runs until November 21 at the Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut.
This is a five-star play, and you should go see it.
As McDonald wrote, this play is about bringing “you home to the family that loves you.”
