Play Review: James Aur Ek Giant Peach

Director: Gagan Dev Riar
Duration: 105 minutes
Cast: Shivani Tanksale, Pawan Uttam, Dhruv Lohumi, Sukant Goel and others
Language: English/Hindi
Rating: 3
With summer vacations on, it’s the perfect time to take your kid to watch a stage adaptation of the popular children’s classic, James and the Giant Peach, written by celebrated author Roald Dahl. This adaptation, called James Aur Ek Giant Peach (JAEGP) is a bilingual that tells the story of a little boy James Henry Trotter, who is send to live with his two evil aunts, after his parents get eaten by a rhinoceros.One day, thanks to a magical phenomenon, an enormous peach grows in their garden. Soon, James and the giant peach roll away from his aunts and he goes on an adventurous journey, which includes encounters with interesting insect-characters like a spider, earthworm, ladybird, caterpillar and grasshopper!
The tale is reminiscent of Cinderella’s story, but it’s from the point of view of an ill-treated boy. Since it is meant for kids, apart from being educative (the characters talk about values and give information on how useful insects are for the ecosystem), the play is also interactive. In the beginning, you have a small session, where one of the characters explains what the different kinds of insects are called in Hindi, to ensure there isn’t any confusion during the play. Later on, children from the audience are also invited to participate in activities, something that the younger ones would definitely enjoy.
The best elements of JAEGP are the songs and live music. The lyrics are fun and the tunes, catchy. Though, what doesn’t work is the caricature of the vicious aunts: they wear silly face masks! While putting together a kid’s play, very rarely can you make it interesting for parents, who accompany their little ones. Thankfully, this is one such performance that won’t bore adults (you might even find yourself laughing out loud in some parts). With so few options available for young audiences in this medium, this is a show you must take your child for.