Skip to main content

Article: James and the Giant Peach // QPAC & Shake and Stir Theatre Co

James and the Giant Peach

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and Shake & Stir Theatre Co have announced tickets are on sale for the world premiere season of the stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved James and the Giant Peach in the Playhouse from 30 March to 7 April.

This season furthers Shake & Stir’s penchant for reinventing Dahl classics for the theatre, following smash-hit seasons of The Twits, Fantastic Mr Fox and George’s Marvellous Medicine at QPAC. 
 
Written in 1961, the children’s novel has since become a twentieth century classic, selling millions of copies worldwide, along with an Academy Award-nominated film adaptation. 
 
James and the Giant Peach follows James Henry Trotter, a lonely seven-year-old boy, who after losing his parents in a horrible rhinoceros accident, is forced to live with his two wicked aunts. 
 
What follows is magic, mischief and mayhem at every turn, as James discovers the best friendships arise from the most unexpected encounters, and that a little courage can take you a long way. 
 
Adapted by Nelle Lee and directed by Ross Balbuziente, Dahl’s fanciful world, scheming characters and distinct ridiculousness will come alive with puppetry, poetry, song and dance, all enhanced with stunningly realised illustrations.

Shake & Stir Co-Artistic Director Ross Balbuziente said this was the fifth Roald Dahl adaptation he had the privilege to direct.

“I could not be more excited – it is one of Dahl’s most delightful books and the story has the trademark wit and naughty deliciousness readers have come to expect from Dahl,” Mr Balbuziente said. 
 
“It’s a wild adventure of epic proportions, but at its core, it’s a story of resilience and the importance of being nice to one another and when friends work together, anything can be accomplished.
 
“It’s a passion for us at Shake & Stir Theatre Co to use Dahl’s stories as inspiration for reimagined theatre works for audiences of every age to enjoy, we encourage everyone to embrace the power of imagination.”

Audiences of all ages are invited to join James and his collection of curious critters on an enchanting, great escape direct from his backyard, soaring high across the world from Dover to New York and back again. 
 
Tickets are on sale now at qpac.com.au or 136 246.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Equus - X Collective

    Written by Gabriel Besa ‘Equus’ from The X Collective was a superb showcasing of drama and all things theatre. From the exquisitely put together lighting to the character portrayal of each of the actors, The X Collective knows how to put on a show.    ‘Equus’ is a play written by Peter Shaffer in 1973, where he was inspired after he heard a seventeen-year-old boy blind six horses in a small town in northern England. It then went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play. The play switches from past and present as it acts out previous events that lead up to Alan Strang’s current state. Through the psychiatric expertise of Martin Dysart, we see the importance each character had played against Alan Strang’s life.   The X Collective had meticulously placed this production in the Holy Trinity Hall as it provides a state of eeriness and mystery for the audience. Since the venue strays from the average theatre, portable lighting and set desi...

Review: Closer // La Boite

 Written by Jake Goodall Get ready for desire, betrayal, love and sex as Closer takes the stage at Brisbane's La Boite Theatre. 24 years since its original La Boite production, Closer returns to the La Boite stage under the skillful direction of Courtney Stewart who happens to also be the theatre's Artistic Director. This production is penned to rival your morals and set your heart ablaze throughout the entire production.  The four lives of Alice, Anna, Dan and Larry intertwine over the course of four and a half years in this densely plotted look at modern love and betrayal. Dan, an obituary writer, meets Alice, a stripper, after an accident in the street. Eighteen months later, they are a couple, and Dan has written a novel inspired by Alice. While posing for his book jacket cover, Dan meets Anna, a photographer. He pursues her, but she rejects his advances despite their mutual attraction. Larry, a dermatologist, meets Dan in an internet chat room. Dan, obsessing over ...

Review: The Cemetery Club - Tugun Theatre

Written by Rett Visser Meet the Cemetery Club! Three longtime friends in their late fifties to early sixties, who are now also united by bereavement. Meeting once a month to visit the cemetery where their deceased husbands lay, their friendship and love for their husbands form the cornerstone of ‘The Cemetery Club’. As in real-life, each woman is dealing with grief differently, as every relationship is different: Doris is struggling with losing the love of her life Abe, despite it being four years since his passing, Lucille is kicking up her heels and spending the inheritance left by the unfaithful Harry, and Ida misses her Murry but realises that she doesn’t want to mourn forever. When Sam, the widower meets the ladies whilst visiting the grave of his deceased wife, a shy attraction to Ida sees cracks in the friendships begin to grow. Efficiently directed by Julie Neumann, the space was well-considered enabling the audience to feel like they were included in the conversation as the la...