Peach of a show

But what matters more than an appreciation of Ben Stones' fabulous design concepts and Loz Kaye's wonderful work on the music, both central to the success of the Royal & Derngate production, is the sheer fun and enjoyment which radiates from the stage, rather like the magical 'things' that young James spills in the garden which kickstarts his whole fantastical adventure, spreading sheer enchantment everywhere.

Dani Parr, known to Midland audiences for her work with Pentabus, at the mac and Birmingham Rep, directed one of the most enjoyable pantomimes in the region this season with 101 Dalmatians, and has brought her same sure touch for family entertainment to the latest show at Northampton.

While the mums and dads, as I say, may appreciate things like Malcolm Rippeth's effective lighting plot (great shadow puppets) and Caroline Pope's choreographic touches (eg a spider doing aerial circus stunts and a hip hop worm), it's the telling of a great, gripping story that matters and here we are in the hands of a skilled director and a superb cast (pictured above by Robert Day).

That can't be many theatre jobs where you are asked to sing, dance, play a musical instrument and double two or three parts with quick costume changes, instant character and accent changes and still enjoy the process.

Well, this lot revel in it, clearly having as much fun as the audience.

Adam Baxter plays James and, in this tried and tested David Wood adaptation, acts as a narrator and MC, making friends of the audience as well as the giant insects inside his miraculous peach. A really winning performance.

Lauren Hersheson and Louise Shuttleworth come close to stealing the early action as the panto dame type aunts who terrorise young James before transforming into the warm and wonderful, accordion-toting Ladybird and courageous and resourceful cello-playing spider. We couldn't decide who we hated most in the early scenes or who we loved most at the end. Great performances which should win both players work galore.

Watch for the brilliant moment after Aunts Sponge and Spiker are mown down by the rolling Giant Peach - I won't spoil it by going into detail, but it's marvellous.

Guitar playing Morgan Philpott, too, has some hilarious moments dealing with his many, many feet as Centipede and he and James do a brilliant UV underwater routine.

William Finkenrath, the clarinet-playing miseriguts of a blind worm, is terrific, too, with some extraordinary movements and great voice characterisation, while Tom Jude combines his violin-playing Grasshopper with some deft doubling in which he really commands the stage and sings with rather more authority than the basics demanded by his drama school training.

In terms of uplifting family entertainment, this is as good as it gets, with a final cheeky gesture of having the Empire State Building emerging from the stage trapdoor. So the hardened professional critic's final word is to recommend that you make sure you see the show. It is, I have to conclude, really, really good.

The production, which lasts one hour and 50 minutes, is on until June 28. Box office 01604 624811
www.royalandderngate.co.uk
www.roalddahl.com
www.davidwood.org.uk