RIPE FOR FUN: Kid’s quirky classic comes to BPA

Published 11:51 am Friday, July 29, 2016

Whimsical and macabre, heartwarming and curmudgeonly, truly one-of-a-kind — the stories of Roald Dahl, like the man himself, refuse to be just one thing. They, and he, occupy a unique and unassailable corner in the annals of popular culture.

A playfully spooky corner full of lovable, dangerous and brilliant characters.

James Trotter, one of Dahl’s most beloved creations, and all of his buggy friends will leap from the pages of “James and the Giant Peach” and onto the Bainbridge Performing Arts stage this weekend for a musical adaptation to be performed by the BPA Theatre School: “James and the Giant Peach, Jr.”

When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that grows a tremendous peach, which rolls into the ocean and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean. They face hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements along the way, all while learning that with courage, and friends, there is nothing that can’t be overcome.

The Bainbridge cast features 40 veteran and novice young actors, from fourth to 10th grade, some making their return and others their actual debut on the BPA stage.

The show is directed by Victoria Tuttle, with musical direction by Michelle Abad and choreography by Heather Dawson.

“We have a really good mix this year,” Tuttle said of her cast. “We do a week of intensive camp for a lot of the kids that are returning, and then we’ve had a lot of really new faces that then joined us for the last four weeks of camp, too.”

The show is the culmination of those four weeks of training, including lessons in acting, singing and dance. Classes are in the mornings, with afternoon time reserved for show rehearsals.

“This program is a really good confidence builder for a lot of kids,” Tuttle said. “We see kids that are maybe really shy when they first start and they’re coming out of their shell. We also do a lot of leadership skills as well as [lessons in] being prepared and responsibility.

“I see a lot of students that, on the first day, can’t keep track of their things and by the end, they’re on it,” she added. “They’re the one helping everybody else.”

Teamwork is a big part of the curriculum behind the production, Tuttle said. “We focus a lot on teamwork and ensemble, helping others out.”

Anyone who read the book or saw the movie knows that “James and the Giant Peach” has some hefty technical requirements, which Tuttle said she and the rest of the crew have been able to fulfill with clever usage of lights, truly dynamic sets and awesome costumes.

Traditionally, the summer production is the largest for the theatre school, Tuttle explained.

But it was nothing the kids couldn’t handle.

“This is one of the more technical shows that we’ve had,” Tuttle said. “Having such a large cast, costuming is always a challenge. Lots of kids have several costume changes and that kind of thing, and we have mics and lighting and all of that kind of stuff.

“Throughout the year we try to do things a little more parred down, but in the summer we go all out,” she added.

The often quirky and sometimes downright terrifying tales of Roald Dahl are some of the most popular (and often censored) in the world. Yet they’ve been translated into wildly popular stage and screen adaptation and are, to many readers young and old, beloved experiences. Tuttle said it is exactly their wicked edge that makes Dahl’s works speak so clearly to children.

“I think kids can relate because he does touch on the quirky side that kids maybe don’t see in other books,” she said. “You see it kind of with Harry Potter, too. They’re like, ‘Oh, I do feel that way about my aunts,’ or ‘I do feel that way when I meet new people,’ or ‘I feel lonely even though there’s people around me that are my family.’

“This show really says that your family is the people that love you and are around you and that kind of thing, and doesn’t have to be your blood relatives. And that’s something that I think a lot of kids can relate to,” she said. “We have a lot of kids who are adopted or in foster care or that kind of thing. We also relate to it because this is our big theater family. James made this family of these crazy, fun bugs — and we are making a family out of our crazy, fun theater family.”

The show takes the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, July 29 and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30 at Bainbridge Performing Arts (200 Madison Ave. North).

Tickets — $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, youth, students, military and teachers — are on sale at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org. There is also a special family fun deal: $8.75 per person for families of four or more.

Just peachy

What: Bainbridge Performing Arts Theatre School’s production of “James and the Giant Peach, Jr.”

When: 7 p.m. Friday, July 29, and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30.

Where: Bainbridge Performing Arts (200 Madison Ave. North).

Admission: Tickets — $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, youth, students, military and teachers — are now on sale at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org. There is a family fun price of $8.75 per person for families of four or more.