Review: VYT's JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH Is Fantasterrific!

Valley Youth Theatre, under the inspired direction and choreography of Bobb Cooper, the company's Producing Artistic Director, is an invaluable breeding ground for young remarkably gifted talent, consistently staging jaw-dropping productions of family friendly shows. Evidence of this indisputable claim is the second production of VYT's 27th Season, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH.

From the moment that high school senior Clark Shaeffer, with all the panache of a veteran showman, appears Right Before Your Eyes as the emcee-ish Ladahlord to the uplifting Welcome Home finale, this show bursts with energy, heightened by the upbeat score of Tony nominees Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

Based on Roald Dahl's book and adapted for the stage by Timothy Allen McDonald, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH delivers a salient message about love and loyalty, bonding and family ties, trust and endurance though life's choppy seas. Following in the tradition of the classic fairy tales, Dahl's imagination factory includes an orphan boy, evil guardians, a magical gateway to freedom, and a cohort of fantastic creatures. As yummy a bunch of ingredients as you might find in a chocolate factory!

James, portrayed by the winningly affable eleven-year-old Owen Watson, is the orphan placed in the money-grubbing hands of his aunts, aptly named Spiker and Sponge, whose aim is to exploit him for their own nefarious purposes. He'll be their Cinder-feller until, miracle of miracles, and with a little bit of help from a back yard potion, a humongous peach appears, providing a portal to freedom. Alas, the peach falls and tumbles into the roiling seas below the sisters' home ~ with James and, to his surprise, a quintet of creepy-crawlies aboard.

In the face of their mutual suspicions, life lessons are to be learned and necessity becomes the mama of collaboration.

First, to survive the turbulence, they must acknowledge and embrace their interdependence.

Second, one's grief may be allayed by a deep knowing that the spirit of the departed remains and the concept of family is elastic. The high emotional point of this epiphany is revealed in the ensemble's touching rendition of Everywhere That You Are: "Love is never far. They are with you everywhere that you are. In the music of the forest and the waves against the sand. From the heavens to the freckles on your hands."

Addison Bowman and Haley Hanni are simply terrific as Spiker and Sponge. They sing and dance their evil ways with flair and style ~ and you just gotta love 'em! This dynamic duo enlivens the production with their spirited and juicy performances.

Equally deserving of praise are the actors who have endowed their creatures with distinctive fantastical attributes: Connor Baker (Centipede); Isabella Conner (Ladybug); Nathan Franzke (Grasshopper); Avery Strachan (Glow Worm); and Sam Primack (Earthworm).

The creatures, in turn, are endowed and adorned by Karol Cooper's stunning, imaginative, and colorful costumes and headpieces.

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH runs through October 25th.

Photo credit to Valley Youth Theatre