James and the Giant Peach at First Presbyterian Church

Dates: (4/26/2024 - 5/5/2024 )

Theatre:

First Presbyterian Church

Spotlight Players

883 NJ-34, Matawan, NJ 07747
Matawan,NJ 07747

Buy Tickets

Phone: (732) 583-7874

Tickets: $20 - $25

Limited Tickets Remain

SUBMIT UPDATES

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Cast Creative Edit

Spotlight Players Presents: James and the Giant Peach - A Musical Extravaganza in Matawan, NJ!

Hold onto your hats and grab your golden tickets because the Spotlight Players are proud to announce the most scrumdiddlyumptious theatrical event of the year! Prepare to be transported into the fantastical world of Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach - The Musical" as it descends upon Matawan, NJ, like a whirlwind of magic and mischief!

Under the whimsical direction of Chuck Cutaia-Hamilton, the Spotlight Players have been hard at work crafting a production that will dazzle and delight audiences of all ages. From the moment the lights dim and the curtain rises, prepare to be whisked away on a journey beyond your wildest dreams.

Join James, a plucky young orphan with an imagination as big as the sky, as he embarks on a larger-than-life adventure aboard a colossal peach! With the help of a colorful crew of insect friends including the dapper Grasshopper, the elegant Ladybug, and the wise Spider, James sets sail across the ocean to escape his dreary life and discover the true meaning of family, friendship, and courage.

But watch out for trouble in the form of the cantankerous Centipede and the villainous Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, who will stop at nothing to thwart James's plans! Will our intrepid hero triumph over adversity and find happiness at last? There's only one way to find out - come see "James and the Giant Peach - The Musical" at the Spotlight Players.

Featuring an unforgettable score by Tony, Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, LaLa Land, The Greatest Showman, Dogfight and A Christmas Story), this toe-tapping musical extravaganza will have you dancing in your seat and singing along to every note. From the rousing anthem "Welcome Home" to the hauntingly beautiful "Middle of a Moment," the music of "James and the Giant Peach" will capture your heart and stir your imagination.

Starring Myles Milicia as the resourceful and resilient James, the production also features a delightful ensemble cast under the musical direction of maestro, Eric Sayre, and the choreography of Jake Fredericks. Lighting design by Alex Fritsch, assistant director, Laura Almerini, stage manager, Carly Braff, Scenic design by Melissa Amaral, student director, Nadia Heslin, and produced by Dorothy Gallop and Michael Leonard. "James and the Giant Peach the Musical" is sure to be the hottest ticket in town.

Don't miss your chance to be part of the magic! Performances of "James and the Giant Peach - The Musical" will take place at the First Presbyterian Church in Matawan, NJ, from April 26th to May 5th, 2024. Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to secure yours today!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.spotlightplayers.org. Follow us on social media @SpotlightPlayersNJ for behind-the-scenes sneak peeks and exclusive content.

Join us for an unforgettable adventure filled with laughter, love, and plenty of surprises as we journey to the heart of the peach with James and his extraordinary friends. We can't wait to share this magical experience with you!

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) https://www.mtishows.com/ .
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

Authors

James and the Giant Peach at First Presbyterian Church Schedule

April 26th and 27th at 8 pm and April 28th at 3 pm May 3rd and 4th at 8 pm and May 5th at 3 pm

Cast and Creative team for James and the Giant Peach at First Presbyterian Church

Cast

Myles Milicia

James

Brenden Kortenhaus

Ladahlord

Lizzy Stefanic

Sponge

Chelsea Leonard

Sponge

Dot Gallop

Spiker

Elise Leonard

Spiker

Michael Abramov

Grasshopper

Nick Koval

Earthworm

Natalie Dunn

Lady Bug

Emerson Granata

Spider

Kennedy Christensen

Spider

JT Stilo

Centipede

Brittany Ahr

Ensemble

Melissa Amaral

Ensemble

Emily Christensen

Ensemble

David Clarke

Ensemble

Noelle DeBiase

Ensemble

Mirna Drake

Ensemble

Jake Fredericks

Ensemble

Ava Greene

Ensemble

Juice (Aaron) Jackson

Ensemble

Gabrielle Kendrick

Ensemble

Masha Maister

Ensemble

Alexa Ruiz

Ensemble

Kimberly Vogel

Ensemble

Katie Watts

Ensemble

Creative Team

Chuck Cutaia Hamilton

Director

Eric Sayre

Musical Director

Jake Fredericks

Choreographer

Laura Almerini

Assistant Director

Dorothy Gallop

Producer

Mike Leonard

Producer

Carly Braff

Stage Manager

Melissa Amaral

Scenery Design

David Clarke

Costumes

Alex Fritsch

Lighting Design

Sabrina Maza

Sound Design

Benj Pasek

Music and Words

Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning songwriters Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are best known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman. Their songs "City of Stars" and "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land (with collaborator Justin Hurwitz) were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and "City of Stars" garnered both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. Pasek & Paul won the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman, which was also nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Original Song and most recently for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Upcoming projects include the live-action movie musicals Aladdin and Snow White at Disney, and an original animated musical at Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios. On Broadway they composed the score for the six-time Tony Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen, their highly acclaimed original musical for which they received an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award, and the Tony Award for Best Score. Their albums for Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman appeared in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, the latter of which held the #1 spot for multiple weeks in a row. The Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast Recording won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and The Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which was recently nominated for the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, is certified Platinum in over a dozen countries, including Double Platinum in the US, Australia, and Taiwan, Triple Platinum in Ireland and Singapore, and Quadruple Platinum in the UK and Korea. Pasek & Paul had their Broadway debut in 2012 with their Tony-nominated score for the Broadway musical A Christmas Story, an adaptation of the classic holiday film, further adapted into a live telecast for FOX in 2017. Their new song written for the telecast, "In the Market for a Miracle," was nominated for the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. In 2013, they contributed several songs to NBC's Smash, and received great acclaim for their musical Dogfight which was awarded Off-Broadway's highest honor, the Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Musical. Their earlier theater credits include the children's musical James and the Giant Peach and the popular song cycle Edges. Pasek and Paul went on to receive a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Special Class - Short Format Daytime Program for the song "Unlimited," featured in an Old Navy YouTube campaign. In 2017, the songwriting duo composed a song for the CW's musical episode of The Flash, and also wrote "Get Back Up Again" for the DreamWorks animated film Trolls. Among their numerous honors, in 2007 they became the youngest winners ever of the famed Jonathan Larson Award for most promising musical theater songwriters. Both are graduates of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program and currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Dramatists Guild Foundation.

Justin Paul

Music and Words

Timothy Allen McDonald

Book

Timothy Allen McDonald is an award-winning playwright (Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley, Jim Henson's Emmet Otter, Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach) adaptor of over 65 musicals (highlights include Guys and Dolls JR., Getting to Know...The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz YPE, and Les Miserables School Edition). McDonald is also an accomplished director (Dear Edwina produced by multi-Tony award winner Daryl Roth, and The Phantom Tollbooth at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) and a leading authority on musical theater education. In 1996 McDonald was recruited by Freddie Gershon to develop Music Theatre International's Education Division, working side-by-side with theatrical greats including Cameron Mackintosh, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Schwartz and Sheldon Harnick to create age-appropriate adaptations of musicals. In 1997 McDonald founded iTheatrics to continue and expand the work he began at MTI by developing educational musical theatre adaptations and resources for Tams-Witmark, Rodgers and Hammerstein and Samuel French. McDonald is the founder of the Junior Theater Festival, the world's largest festival exclusively dedicated to young people performing musical theater which is held annually in Atlanta, GA over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Believing that every child everywhere should have access to quality arts programs, Tim has developed several nationwide initiatives which build sustainable musical theater programs in underserved schools. These programs include NBC's Smash Make A Musical, Educational Theatre Association's JumpStart Theater, New York City's Department of Education's Shubert Foundation/MTI Broadway Junior Program and The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities' Turnaround Arts Initiative. Tim has had the unique honor of seeing Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Bush and directing Sarah Jessica Parker and a troupe of the most wonderful girls at the first ever White House Talent Show for President and Mrs. Obama. For more information check out iTheatrics.com.

First Presbyterian Church Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

What shows are coming up next at First Presbyterian Church?

Newsies (7/19/24-7/28/24)
A Gentleman's Guide To Love And Murder (11/8/24-11/17/24)

Where is First Presbyterian Church located?

First Presbyterian Church is at 883 NJ-34, Matawan, NJ 07747, Matawan, NJ.

What shows have played recently at First Presbyterian Church?

James and the Giant Peach (4/26/24-5/5/24)
Elf-the Musical Jr. (12/8/22-12/10/22)
Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical (11/11/22-11/20/22)
Shrek The Musical (7/22/22-7/31/22)

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