James and the Giant Peach

Act One

The lights rise, and the mysterious figure of Ladahlord appears. He invites the audience to the story, and the characters enter, enticing the spectators to believe in the magic they’re about to see (“Right Before Your Eyes”).

It is 1959. At the Painswick Orphanage in London, young James Trotter is caught in a horrible nightmare: His parents are trampled and eaten by a stampeding rhino. He wakes up and makes sure that he still has the most important objects in the world to him: His mother’s polka-dot scarf and his father’s glasses. The Ladybug and Grasshopper (as puppets) enter, and James shows off these treasures while he hopes for a home (“On Your Way Home”). The Matron enters--James has two aunts (Spiker and Sponge) who live in Dover, and he’ll go live with them.

At the Boardwalk in Dover, Spiker and Sponge ride up on a motorcycle. They begin pickpocketing the passerby (“Property of Spiker and Sponge”). Two police officers, Bobby Bobby-Cop and Billy Bobby-Cop, ignore the