Whimsy abounds in CTORA Theatre's James and the Giant Peach, to November 9

Roald Dahl’s story comes to life onstage with huge insect puppets designed by Amica Pasquale

*James and the Giant Peach.* Photo by Canna Zhou

CTORA Theatre presents Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach from October 24 to November 9 on the Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre

IN THE ORCHARD of author Roald Dahl’s countryside home in Buckinghamshire, there was a cherry tree that caught his attention. He began to consider what might happen if one of the stonefruits it bore kept growing, and growing, and growing—and that thought planted the seed for his story James and the Giant Peach.

According to Penguin Books, Dahl went with a peach instead of a cherry because they’re simply “prettier, bigger, and squishier”. He must have made the right call, because more than six decades after its release, the story is as popular as ever. CTORA Theatre is staging it in musical form this fall; catch it on the Olympic Village Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre from October 24 to 29.

Young theatre artist Ryder MacInnes, who recently played a zany Ooma Loompa in Theatre Under the Stars’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is starring as James. When the boy’s menacing aunts order him to chop down their old peach tree, they inadvertently send him on the adventure of a lifetime, as he finds a magic potion that creates one humongous peach. James finds himself at the centre of the stonefruit among a troupe of human-sized insects—a ladybug, spider, grasshopper, centipede, and earthworm—who must learn to work together when the peach falls off its tree and rolls into the ocean, eventually making its way to the top of the Empire State Building.

Amica Pasquale has designed larger-than-life insect puppets, from a creepy-crawly centipede to a majestic grasshopper with purple-satin eyes, to help the story jump off the page. Ensemble members Sophia Saugstad and Katrina Teitz will manoeuver them with the guidance of puppet coach Stephanie Elgersma. Director Chris Lam and musical director Peter Abando will be at the helm of the production, which features music by duo Pasek and Paul, book by Timothy Allen McDonald, and choreography by Nicole Rose Bond.

For folks who want to amp the whimsy up to the max, there will be a fun Halloween costume party before the show on October 31 at 7 pm.

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Emily Lyth

Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

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