James And The Giant Peach Costumes

Dahl classics spawn manic Gonzo play for Fleadh

Six magical tales inspired by Roald Dahl have been cleverly intertwined into "50 minutes of mayhem" that promise to delight kids - and let's be honest parents too - during the Fleadh.

Charlie and the Big Friendly Twits wraps together scenes from Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, the Witches, the BFG, the Twits, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory into a cleverly haphazard, madcap tale.

"It's hooked around a father putting a kid to bed and telling them a bedtime story," explains director, Kevin O'Connor. "Of course the kid wants computer games and the usual things, so Dad has a bit of a struggle to convince him that these books are worth investigating and that's where the play takes off.

"It will be good fun," promises Kevin. "It's fast paced, we're taking a cartoon approach to the production. There's loads of action, 50 minutes of mayhem, with so many characters and so many stories to tell."

The idea came from actor Tommy Sharkey who approached Gonzo-dynamo Philip Doherty to stress that if they were doing plays for the Fleadh they really should aim one towards kids, and as Kevin puts it, "Who better with kid stories than Roald Dahl?"

"It's not just kids who enjoy Roald Dahl, adults enjoy him as well," says Kevin. "We are hoping that while this is pitched at kids, we will get adults too."

Kevin readily admits to being a fan of Dahl.

"He's so good. I know as a parent I read to my kids and really enjoyed the Roald Dahl books in particular. I think they connect to everybody."

His favourite?

"They're all so good, but I have a little special place for The Twits," confides Kevin. "I really enjoyed that one when I was reading it to the kids and we laughed a lot along the way. It's just a funny story.

Theater review: 'James and the Giant Peach' from Orlando ...

The two stars of Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach” are young orphan James Henry Trotter, of course, and that magical, enormous fruit.

Both are delightful in Orlando Repertory Theatre’s lively, charming production of the 60-minute stage version, adapted by David Wood from Dahl’s 1961 children’s book.

First, the peach: Designer Alvin DeLeon has created a large orb that deserves its spot at center stage. It spins to reveal a hollow interior and opens so James and his insect friends can sit on top. Coupled with David M. Upton’s warm lighting, the peach has a life of its own — and looks good enough to eat.

As James, appealing young actor Shane Rhoads does a masterful job of conveying James’ sadness, as well as his pluck. In his saddest moments, you want to hug him; when he smiles, it lights up the room.

Poor James doesn’t have much to smile about as the tale begins: His parents are killed by a marauding rhino, and he’s sent to live with his evil aunts, who treat him like a slave.

“I need my toenails trimmed at three,” they bellow, addressing him with Dahl’s clever little insults: “Selfish little sniveler.”

Robin Olson as rotund Aunt Sponge and Becky Eck as wiry Aunt Spiker ooze nastiness, but director Rob Anderson has them play up the comic aspects of their characters rather than the scary ones.

Marcy Singhaus’ fanciful costumes give life to the giant insects James befriends as he escapes from his aunts: adorable boots on the Centipede (a chipper Sam Little), a wiggly head on Earthworm (a gloomy Chantry Banks).

The humans don’t miss out on the cute costume touches, either, from James’ short trousers and knee-high socks to Aunt Sponge’s pink piggy slippers.

For those who have seen the Tim Burton-produced 1996 film for Disney, this adaptation does not use the movie’s songs, though there are musical interludes in which the characters rhythmically speak Dahl’s prose, mostly clearly, though too many actors speaking at once muddies the effect.

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