The department of Theatre opened their production of James and the Giant Peach last week and will continue to present it and Feb. 15-17 at 7 p.m. in the Ulrey Performing Arts Center.
“This play would make for a great date night,” actress Mattie Coy said. “Truthfully though, our show will lift your spirits and make you laugh . . . It’s weird, it’s wacky . . . but the story we tell, about finding your true family, is one I think Christians can easily relate to.”
James and the Giant Peach is a classic children’s book written by Roald Dahl in 1961, and transformed into a musical with its final version released in 2013, according to jatgp.com. The musical is about a young, orphaned boy named James, who brings the audience into his imaginary world, while trying to escape his neglected life with his wicked aunts. The theatre department’s version is abstract compared to most productions that take things very literally, according to Coy.
“Our director, Robin Miller, has done a really neat thing with this production by putting the skeleton of an idea on stage, so your imagination can fill in the gaps,” Coy said.
To accurately portray the imaginative characters and objects, the cast and crew came up with creative ways to build the set. Technical director Seth Fish described his job as making sure the audience’s eyes never wander.
“I spend all of my time making sure every board is painted, every piece of scenery is moving properly, and nothing that will take the audience’s eye off the show is seen,” Fish said.
Senior Katherine Stinnett, spotlight operator for the show, explained that the story is very imaginative because they do not actually have a giant peach on stage, but instead use an umbrella as a representation. According to Stinnett, the department has not done a musical during the school year since before the current seniors were attending Harding. They have been intensely rehearsing since November.
“I think the show will do well with college students because the imaginative things in the show are easily understood,” Stinnett said. “The umbrella representing the peach, the bug friends coming to life, the funky and colorful set- it’s all visually appealing, and its cleverness is easily understood and should be well received.”
According to Coy, the most entertaining characters to watch in the show are the evil aunts. Coy said the aunts are played by two women who go above and beyond with their characters.
“I’m excited for people to see how unabashedly ridiculous we all are in this show,” Coy said. “The story is really heartwarming, and people will definitely leave in a better mood than when they came in.”
Tickets are $10 or free with a CAB pass and can be purchased at www.hardingtickets.com or at the box office before the show.
