JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH Comes to Theatre in the Park

Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach will kick off Theatre in the Park's 2025 OUTDOOR SEASON! The musical runs May 30 through June 7 and is packed with magic, mischief, and one seriously oversized snack.

Based on Dahl’s classic children’s book and featuring music by Pasek & Paul (yes, “Dear Evan Hansen,” “La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman”), this musical adaptation is charming, clever, and bursting with toe-tapping tunes.

The Peachy Plot (Abridged… but Juicy)

Meet James—a lonely young boy stuck with two dreadful aunts after his parents are eaten by a rhinoceros (yep, you read that right). Things look grim until a mysterious stranger named Ladahlord gives James a bag of magical crocodile tongues. One accidental potion spill later, a shriveled peach tree explodes to life, a peach the size of a house grows, and James finds himself climbing inside and sailing away with five unexpected new friends: Ladybug, Earthworm, Centipede, Grasshopper, and Spider.

From escaping sharks to flying through the sky with seagulls, their journey is wild, wacky, and totally heartwarming. By the end, James discovers that family doesn’t have to be what you’re born into—it can be who’s holding your hand when the peach crashes into the Empire State Building.

So... Why This Show?

“James and the Giant Peach isn’t just a kids’ tale,” said Tim Bair, the Director of “James and the Giant Peach “(and the Producing Artistic Director of TIP!). “It’s a clever, funny, and delightfully surprising musical that’ll charm your socks off (yes, even those weird toe ones). With catchy songs, a band of eccentric oversized insects, and a giant peach that defies all known fruit physics, the show serves up heart, humor, and... hope.”

For Bair, this production is personal.

“I might just be the poster child of the TIP ‘Where Dreams Are Born’ motto! I stepped onto this stage in 1984, and from that moment on, I wanted to direct here. Decades later, here I am—back where it all started.”

And this isn’t just any musical—it’s a rare treat.

“Most people know the book, but this musical? It’s not done very often. It was written by one of the most famous musical theatre teams of our time—Pasek & Paul—and it’s packed with their signature heart and style. You’ll laugh. You might cry. You’ll definitely leave wondering why you’ve never seen a giant talking centipede belt out a showstopper before.”

A Show About Found Family

At the core of James and the Giant Peach is a timeless message: you don’t have to go through life alone.

“This show reminds us that family can come in many shapes, sizes, and forms,” the director adds. “You just have to be open to finding it in unexpected places. And sometimes? That place is inside a flying fruit.”