Bald Eagle Area High School Drama Department recently produced their version of Roald Dahl’s JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. The cast was primarily middle school students and the production crews were manned by the more experienced upperclassmen. The show was under the supervision of faculty advisors Eric M. Brinser and Lindsey Allison. I have to say that my friends and I were impressed.
The plot is typically a Roald Dahl fantasy. A young, mistreated boy, James, finds himself inside a VERY large peach where he meets some strange insects, some angry cloud men, and some threatening sharks. James is a creative thinker and is able to save himself and his new friends with the help of a flock of seagulls. (I did tell you that it was based on a Dahl story).
The narrators, Katherine Haagen and Ireland Hackman, were a big help in explaining the scenes that happened “off stage”. They also were the first to execute their lines clearly and distinctly throughout the evening.
When I complimented the student director Cody Mandell on how well the actors spoke, he told me that it was something that he really nagged about. He reminded them that he wanted “the little old ladies to hear every word”. This little old lady was very appreciative.
The lighting, which to me is one of the hardest aspects of a play, also was a big help for a play based on fantasy. The large orange peach grew right in front of our eyes and we watched as it rolled across the stage to take care of the evil aunts. Thank you, Stone Woodring and Luke Wilson.
On what I suppose was a tight budget, the costumes and sets were original and appropriate. Kate Snyder’s costume crew outfitted the actors so that each character was defined. I am not sure who was responsible for the sets, but as simple as they were, they worked. I loved the “sea”.
The cast showed more stage presence than would be expected in a middle school production. I did not read the biographies of the actors until after the show and was really surprised how many were in their first production. It was very easy to forget that they were 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
I wish that there was space to mentioned each person who appeared on stage, but it was a large cast. So I offer my apologies and a promise that I will be watching for some talents in the next show.
James was played by Kody Chandler and he deserves so much credit for carrying such a large part. He had so many lines and I was not aware of one flub. The insects living in the giant peach were all delightful: Alice Statham as the Old-Green-Grasshopper, Emily Shields as the hard working Spider, Dale Dyke as the charming Ladybug, Charlee Harris as the pessimistic Earthworm, and Tanisha Myers as the incandescent Glow-worm. Michael Bailey as the verbose Centipede almost stole the show. He definitely had some great lines--- and I heard everyone.
Space is running out but I have to mention Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker played by Lacee Barnhart and Sammy Arens. These parts required that the audience feel how evil they were; both girls were up to the job. It can be fun to play the mean person.
If JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH is an example of the talent coming up in the Bald Eagle Drama Department, we can look for a good future in local theatre.
Save the date information:
Shrek, The Musical playing April 24 - 26 at 7:30 in the Bald Eagle High School Auditorium.
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