About the Play:

James and the Giant Peach is a play for young audiences adapted for the stage by David Wood from the classic tale by Roald Dahl. James lives with his evil aunts. They make him work and never let him play with other children. Then one day he meets an old man who gives him a bag containing strongest magic in the world. When James spills it near an old peach tree, the most incredible things start to happen and he begins the greatest adventure of his life. 

James and the Giant Peach follows the adventurous, young James and his friends the insect characters – Miss Spider, Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird and Earthworm. Beginning at the end of the story, like all great tales do, James and his friends are living in the giant peach stone in Central Park, New York, but the real story lies in how they got there, all the way from the White Cliffs of Dover. A tour guide brings a party of tourists (the audience) to see this major attraction, and James and his friends tell the story of how they came to live in New York. Orphan James Henry Trotter was sent to live with his Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, the most revolting Aunts in England, after his parents were killed in a tragic rhinoceros accident. Just when James thinks he will never be allowed to have fun again he meets a mystical old man who gives him a bag that contains the ingredients for the strongest magic potion the world has ever known. When James accidentally spills the bag near the old peach tree in his aunts' garden the most marvellous things start to happen – and James embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with the most amazing group of characters you could ever meet!

James and the Giant Peach premiered in 2001 at the The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham and then toured the UK. The US premiere was presented by the San Diego Junior Theatre in 2003. Since then the play has been produced widely by regional repertory, high school, college, and community theatres.

Cast: 2 female, 4 male (alternate casting: doubling possible)

What people say:

"Pure fun for the whole family. A remarkable theatrical feat." — Northampton Chronicle (UK)

"Move heaven and earth to see this wonderful adaptation." — Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, UK)

"A first class show. If I were a child I'd scream for a ticket." — Birmingham Post (UK)

"… a great introduction for first-timers to the work of the masterful Dahl … a theatrical treat for children and adults alike." — Belfast Newsletter (Northern Ireland)

"The David Wood adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic tale is a must … the story's transition heatre for youngsters and the young at heart." — Northampton Herald and Post (UK)

"The content is timeless and, thanks to the adaptive genius of David Wood, is now enabling a new generation of children, of all ages, the chance to marvel at the brilliance of the master storyteller via the magic of the theatre." — Encore Magazine (UK)

"… some wonderful sequences, including the giant peach squashing the nasty aunts, floating in the water and being attacked by sharks and pulled out of the water by thousands of seagulls … it was a delight to see James and his new friends end up in New York where they made their home… a fantastic show." — The West Briton (UK)

"… an excellent adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic by David Wood … an excellent introduction to live theatre." — The Stage (UK)

About the Playwright:

David Wood is an English writer and actor who has been writing, adapting, directing and acting in plays for children for more than twenty-five years. Described by The Times as "the national children's dramatist," his plays have enjoyed international professional success and entered the repertory of amateur companies and school dramatic societies.

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) was a British novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter, spy, ace fighter pilot, and medical inventor. He was born in Wales to Norwegian immigrant parents, so holidays were spent in Norway. When World War II began in 1939, he became a fighter pilot and in 1942 was made assistant air attaché in Washington, where he started to write short stories. His first major success as a writer for children was in 1964. Thereafter his children's books brought him increasing popularity, and his books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.