By Nicholas Whittaker

‘James and the Giant Peach’ – Words and Music by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. Book by Timothy Allen McDonald. Based on the book, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Directed by Emily Ranii. Musical Direction: Matthew Stern. Choreography: Juanita Pearl. Production Stage Manager: Nicky Carbone. Presented by Wheelock Family Theater at Boston University; Fenway Campus, 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215 through May 12th

Wheelock labels itself a “Family Theater” company. Such a phrase may send many a “theatrical connoisseur” into a conniption, promising puppetry and slapstick humor and inane characterizations. Wheelock, to their credit, couldn’t care less what those snobs think. James and the Giant Peach is family theater at its very best: absolute, complex, emotionally nuanced, fun. This is not a production for one to plop their children in front of before dipping out into the lobby for two hours; no adult should miss the fun. Nor is it one that tries too hard to be “smart”, to betray its most earnest audience – children – with unwarranted cynicism. James is thrilling in its accessibility, forcing any audience member to embrace its ludicrous logic for the sake of a good time.

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