“James and the Giant Peach” Fun Fantabulous Fantasy!
Cast of “James and the Giant Peach” at Lyric
Lyric’s production of “James and the Giant Peach” is being performed through April 9 at Lyric at the Plaza. Set Designer Kate Sullivan, is also the designer for “I Am My Own Wife” running concurrently. The beautiful and intricate set for both shows easily transforms from a lovely fun space for “James and the Giant Peach,” to the elegant but musty gentility found in the evening performances of “I Am My Own Wife” in short order.
“James and the Giant Peach” is a show that is great fun for the entire family; children mesmerized as adults are thrilled, by both the magic on their child’s face and on stage. This wonderful story is by the incomparable Roald Dahl and the book for stage is by Timothy Allen McDonald. The music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are humorous, good natured, and easy to listen for children especially. Nevertheless it is exciting, and talented singers can display their finest form. Michael Baron directs “James and the Giant Peach” with a light heart and a grin lurking around the corners of his twinkling eyes.
The main role of James is taken by two outstanding young actors, Connor Willis and Hudson Ratcliff, alternating performance days. On Saturday morning, April 1, 2017, Hudson Ratcliff comes leading a cast of competent adults in a tale of love, woe and happy endings. They achieve a well-deserved ovation—not merely standing—jumping up and down! Rumor has it that Connor Willis is equally talented and deserving for his performances.
The story is not complicated, containing all the twists and turns a good fairy tale has in the telling. James is an orphan after his parents are trampled by a rampaging rhinoceros escaping from the London zoo. He is ‘adopted’ by his two quite villainous aunts, Spiker and Sponge. These two sisters plan to use James as an accomplice in their evil deeds defrauding innocent citizens. However, James has a friend, a somewhat grandfatherly magician with a bag of tricks for James to pick from. Ladahlord offers his assistance and James picks a spell from the bag that will grow a giant peach from the withering tree in his auntie’s back yard. James also makes some new friends and they display the best qualities of humanity. They are Grasshopper, Earthworm, Ladybug, Spider and Centipede. Ultimately they are set adrift, clinging to the giant peach sailing out over the white cliffs of Dover. James must rescue his friends, and himself, to find happiness in this ‘peach’ of a story.
The evil aunties are hysterically funny and especially beloved by many of the adults. Cristela Carrizales is wonderful, shamelessly revealing her delightful sense of the absurd as Sponge. Renee Anderson is also quite incredible as the devilishly devious Spiker and her grasp of the subtle, sublime insensitivity is a joy to watch. Their timing is perfect and their comedy crosses the generations.
Stephen Hilton is the ‘marvelgorical’ ‘fantabulous’ Ladahlord. He dashes in at exactly the right moment with his voluminous valise of vivid spells. He casts his own spell of security and friendship, allowing his young audience to gaze in wonderment and wish he would visit Oklahoma.
A captivating Justin Larman as
Earthworm from “James and the Giant Peach”
Jordan Jacobs as Grasshopper, suave and debonair with a dash of Fred Astaire, is wonderful to watch. Justin Larman as Earthworm, down to earth and timid but with an inner core of valor is also amazing. Jennifer Teel as Ladybug, lovely and gentle. It is a dream to watch. Lexi Windsor, glamourous and generous, is very much like the first movie star a boy falls into infatuation over and under. Finally, there is Stephen Clark as Centipede, with a little rhythm and a lot of legs. He must overcome his fear of humans and trust James. His graceless apology to James for learning the lesson a little late is a nice early lesson for the fascinated audience.
“James and the Giant Peach” is a ‘phantasmagorical’ musical! These performers create magic with a bit of song and dance, using a lot of excellent voices and intricate steps with a little help from Choreographer, Rachel Dolan and expert direction from Baron. Jeffrey Meek creates awe inspiring costumes and Sullivan’s set is remarkable. Mary Brozina is the music director keeping the whole show in ‘tune,’ and Andrea Moore’s versatility in props/puppet design adds a very nice touch. The entire crew should be congratulated as well for their dedication and expertise in putting on this delightful musical alongside “I Am My Own Wife” running back to back. While “James and the Giant Peach” is a show for children and families, it is also one that adults will enjoy just as much as their children. The appreciation they receive from kids is just the icing on the cake for a grand experience.
“James and the Giant Peach” plays through Sunday, April 9, 2017. Thursday, April 6 has an 11:00 AM curtain as does Friday, April 7. Saturday, April 8 is a 10:00 AM curtain and follows with a 12:00 noon curtain, giving parents an early option as well as a sleeping in option! Friday and Saturday morning performances are sensory friendly, bringing a great deal of joy to children with autism. The noon performance will be American Sign Language interpreted, a wonderful feature. Sunday, April 9 also has two performances, the first curtain is at 1:00 PM and the second is 3:00 PM. Lyric at the Plaza is located at 1727 NW 16th Street in the exciting Plaza District of Oklahoma City. There is a parking lot at the Lyric Offices just a block away at 1801 NW 15th, and lots of spaces tucked in around the area. For further information and tickets visit 222.lyrictheatreokc.com or call 405-524-9310. The box office direct number is 405-524-9312.