Philadelphia Weekly

The Arden Theatre Company has a reputation as one of the city's top producers of children's theater. However little of the company's expertise with kids' fare is evident in director Whit MacLaughlin's listless staging of James and the Giant Peach.

Based on Roald Dahl's classic book, much of the trouble with Peach can be traced to author David Wood's abominable stage adaptation. As if conducting a lesson in how not to adapt a work of fiction for the stage, Wood doesn't just fail to bring the book to life; he doesn't seem to even by trying especially hard.

The story's eponymous character is a sad and lonely young boy whose parents are killed by a rhinoceros (easily the production's coolest scene). The accident forces James (James William Ijames) to move in with his aunts Sponge (Stephanie English) and Spiker (the seriously miscast Harum Ulmer Jr.). Cruel and selfish, the aunts' torment James mercilessly. His fortunes change however when a mysterious man gives him a bag of "marvelous, magical things." The bag is spilled and much to James' surprise a giant peach appears on a previously barren tree. Inside the peach reside a diverse group of insects. James and his bug buddies manage to detach the colossal fruit, which subsequently crushes the wicked aunts and sets in motion a series of what should be exciting escapades.

Unfortunately the Arden's dull production is nearly bereft of excitement. The characters are one-dimensional and the plot disorganized. Free of the moralizing that typically accompanies most kid's production, Peach is essentially an adventure tale without any adventure.

The actors (all of whom have proved their worth in other productions) seem almost disinterested in the proceedings. Instead of instilling their characters with life the performances are dull and routine at best.

Peach isn't entirely without merit. James Sugg's catchy music gives the production some much needed vitality and Christal Weatherly's innovative costumes are colorful and inventive (the centipede's shoes are especially creative). The strongest element in the production however is provided by Jorge Cousineau, who's video animation is nothing short of wondrous (the first appearance of the giant peach is eye-popping).

In retrospect Peach was most likely doomed from the start. The problems with transferring the story (which includes an underwater battle with an octopus and a flock of seagulls dropping the giant peach on the Empire State Building) to the stage prove insurmountable. Cousineau's visuals are impressive, but the tepid production feels workmanlike and the magic of Dahl's book goes unrealized.

A far better example of a children's show at the Arden arrives in March when the company restages its production of A Year with Frog and Toad. Funny and heartwarming, Toad is marvelous entertainment for children and adults alike. In other words everything Peach is not.

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