Originally set to debut last fall as a small production, “James and the Giant Peach” will take to the main stage at the University Theatre on April 5 at 8 p.m.
The Sacramento State theater department has adapted the classic children’s story by Roald Dahl and will perform its own version with giant puppets and a cartoon-inspired set as the last production of this semester.
The 15-member ensemble will be directed by Richard Bay, a retired theater professor who taught at Sac State for 33 years.
“(Sac State) asked me to come back and put together an interesting family show, (something) they haven’t done in a while,” Bay said. “We decided on ‘James and the Giant Peach.’ ”
Bay is not only directing the production; he is also in charge of designing the set and making puppets.
“I started building the puppets in December,” Bay said. “Now I’m here (every day) working on the puppets, getting the students involved with the puppets, getting the staff involved with the puppets and building the set.”
“James and the Giant Peach” follows a young orphan boy named James who lives with his two abusive aunts after his parents were eaten by a rhinoceros.
After he discovers a magical peach in their yard, James escapes his aunts’ imprisonment and goes on a journey to the world beyond with a band of bugs he encounters inside the peach. (Story continues below)
“James and the Giant Peach” was Dahl’s first children’s story, and was created as a way to escape the pressure of his 3-year-old son’s hospitalization after a car accident, according to Bay.
“(‘James and the Giant Peach’ has) always been my favorite, my children’s favorite — and this time I get to put it on stage,” Bay said. “I have an incredibly talented cast, some of the best students we’ve had at Sac State in years, and they’re really helping create a show that is really interesting.”
Bay said that he wanted the play’s visuals and puppets to reflect the magic of the book.
Audrey Walker, the costume shop manager for the theater and dance department, said that the puppets are a unique part of the play.
“It is very bizarre,” Walker said. “It’s extra big or exaggerated or the fabrics are crazy combinations, so it is a big challenge to make puppet clothes that look sorta real, but imaginary at the same time.”
Walker said that the biggest challenge with the puppets was making them as light as possible, so that the puppeteers can control and carry them throughout the show.
“The more you put on clothes, the heavier (the puppets are),” Walker said. “The puppets are foam and have stuffing, paint and the costume, which makes them heavier and heavier, so we have to be careful with the fabric choices.”
Some of the actors, including senior Michelle Pollack, have never worked with a puppet before. Pollack said that this led to a learning curve that she was not used to.
“(The puppets are) pretty big and relatively heavy,” Pollack said. “So, it was a challenge learning how to get them to move the way we wanted them to, without being too over exaggerated or under exaggerated. Then, also having the mouth move correctly and still portraying the character that we created in rehearsals before we used the puppets — that was probably the biggest challenge for me.”
Taylor Fleer, a Sac State alumna who minored in musical theater, said that acting with puppets is an entirely different experience.
“As actors, we study our facial expressions, our pausing (and) our body language,” Fleer said. “Now (we’re) conveying that through just our voice and (by) putting all of those acting techniques into a puppet instead of our person.”
Those involved in the play were already familiar with “James and the Giant Peach” from the original book and Tim Burton’s film adaptation prior to the production at Sac State.
Senior theater major Angel Rodriguez, who plays the lead role as James in the Sac State production, said that the role felt special to him as he grew up reading the book and watching the film with his siblings.
Rodriguez said that he was so excited for the role that he shaved off his beard in order to better fit the part. He said that he hopes to entertain the audience by making his character come to life.
“This role is so cool for me because I am a child, honestly,” Rodriguez said. “I’m always jumping around everywhere — this role is so me. There’s an inner part of me that has been wanting to play this role for a while, and I didn’t even know it.”