BWW Reviews: A Juicy Afternoon with JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH at Orlando Shakes

When you think of great children stories involving fruit there's a lot of apples and bananas, but there is only one peach. The final show in Orlando Shakes' Children's Series is the Roald Dahl classic JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. Perfect for elementary school students on spring break, this adaptation is a fun and entertaining for the family.

This is my most favorite story written by Roald Dahl. At the time, it was the longest book I had ever read by 4th grade. I remember thinking that the story seemed more grown up and that I would love to see a giant peach. (This was a time before Harry Potter). I loved seeing some young audience members coming to the show with copies of their book in hand.

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH is best described as a whimsical story about friendship and hope. Here's a quick refresher on the plot: James is a young English boy who lived with his horrible aunts after the death of his parents. His life was miserable until he meets a man with some sort of magic. The magic spills and forms a giant peach along with giant bugs who become James's friends. The peach breaks off its branch and off James and his friends go on an adventure.

This adaptation was written by David Wood especially for young audiences. The insects are humans and the audience is instructed to use their imagination. The plot is fast paced and even has a few jokes thrown in for the adults. What I liked about this production was the use of different beats to accompany the scenes that had song-like poems. There's a cool scene involving tin cups, while the peach is flying over the ocean.

Michael Sheehy plays James with youthful optimism. Earlier in the year we saw Sheehy as Flat Stanley. Again, Sheehy is believable and connects well with the young audience. The welcoming narrator and Grasshopper is played by Christopher Joel Onken. Onken is best at portraying his insect without being overt. His makeup, though subtle, works very well to define him as a grasshopper. Perhaps the funniest character is Ryan Skiles as the blind, grumpy earthworm. Skiles has nice physical comedic timing.

The peach itself is an interesting effect. It's definitely giant and brightly colored. Never before have I wanted to bite into a set piece. Admittedly, after seeing the show, I drove to the closest Publix to find peaches. Unfortunately peaches are out of season. So the only way to get your peach fix is to visit Orlando Shakes.

Directed by Tim Williams, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH runs until April 26. There are some fun activities before the show for the kids, so make sure to arrive on time. I love that the kids can sit at the "edge" of the stage to really become immersed in the story. The run time is 55 minutes with no intermission, which is just enough time for a young audience. For tickets and more information visit OrlandoShakes.org.

Photo credit: Landon St. Gordon

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