Naperville North plays up whimsical side of Roald Dahl classic

"James and the Giant Peach" has talking insects and worms, creatures known as cloud pirates and, of course, a giant sea-going peach that transports characters across the ocean to a faraway land.

And it's all coming to life onstage at Naperville North High School this weekend.

"Because the show is so whimsical, we have (had) to make loads and loads of props," said Steta Boarini, the senior student director in charge of props and costumes for North's production. "I spent the whole weekend making clouds out of cardboard."

The Roald Dahl classic is the school's annual children's play directed and produced by students under the guidance of faculty adviser Katie Biggs.

As such, Boarini said, North's interpretation of the story is heavy on whimsy and treads lightly on the darker side of the original tale, which includes abusive adults and death. To get ready for tonight's public opening, the cast and crew put on two performances for area grade schools Thursday.

"We just go on the more whimsical aspects of the play," Boarini said. "All of our costumes are really elaborate, especially for the bug characters. For the visual aspect, we're kind of basing it off the Tim Burton Claymation film that came out in 1996."

The story is about James, a young orphan who escapes his nasty aunts via a voyage in a giant peach. Inside the oversized magical fruit, he befriends a collection of similarly large creatures, including a spider, a centipede, a grasshopper and several worms.

"Each character is very individual," said Boarini, who shares directorial duties with students Rob DeBruin and Dan Wood. "Our spider can do a very good French accent."

Senior Mike Deely plays the Old Green Grasshopper.

"He's a musician. He's very proud of that," Deely said of his character. "He's the wise leader, out of the bugs."

Deely said he's been working on perfecting the gait of a violin-playing grasshopper, no easy feat considering a grasshopper can jump 20 times as far as the length of its own body.

"I'm trying to elongate my steps," he said.

The ladybug inside the peach is played by junior Tara Morrow.

"The ladybug is kind of the mother of the group. She wants everyone to be happy, but she gets freaked out when things go bad," Morrow said.

Morrow's been in several other shows at North, she said, and is enjoying preparations for this new show.

"The children's show is always so much fun because the directors are students," she said. "We get stuff done, but we also have a lot of fun doing it."

James is played by freshman Michael Notardonato, whose prior theater credits include playing the title role in Marriott Lincolnshire's 2005-06 production of "Oliver." He also has appeared in two shows at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.

"It's a fun role," Notardonato said of his incarnation of James. "It's a fantasy adventure. Doing a British accent is fun."

Director Boarini said the show not only entertains, it delivers important messages.

"The story has loads of entertaining characters for kids to relate to," she said, "(and it also has) good morals, like value your friends and don't be afraid to try new things."

If you go

What: "James and the Giant Peach" staged by Naperville North High School theater students

When: 7 p.m. Friday, 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Naperville North High School auditorium, 899 N. Mill St.

Tickets: $7 for adults, $6 for students and seniors

Info: (630) 660-4650 nnhsboosters.org

'James and the Giant Peach'

Cast

Mrs. Trotter: Stephanie Kwaitt

Mr. Trotter: Kyle Sauer

Narrator: Katie McGrath

Aunt Sponge: Erin Schield

Aunt Spiker: Brittany Jarrett