James and the Giant Peach Page #2

moveable jaw, and shows its teeth.)

Mother:
(Offstage) Oh look dear, that’s strange, a giant rhinoceros on the

street!

(The rhino opens its jaws as wide as it’ll possibly go)

Narrator #1:
Both of them suddenly gotten eaten up in full daylight on a

crowded street by an enormous angry rhino that had escaped from the

London zoo.

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Father:
(Offstage) It looks rather angry-AHHH!

(The rhino’s jaws snap shut on stage. MOTHER and FATHER scream

offstage, and this is end of them. We hear a loud burp from the Rhino.)

Narrator #2:
That’s awful!

Narrator #1:
It gets worse.

Young James:
It does?

Narrator #1:
Well as you can imagine it was a pretty nasty experience for

everyone involved. Suddenly James found himself alone and frightened in a

vast unfriendly world. The only living relatives were his two aunts. Their

names were Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker.

(Doom music fills the air, and in waddles Aunt Sponge, a voluptuous woman

– her costume is probably stuffed to make her look quite large – and Aunt

Spiker who is just that…spikey with a large nose and quite mean. It is very

likely that both are cross cast and males are playing their roles. Their voices

are high and piercing and should probably hurt the ears.)

Aunt Sponge:
Oh looook, there he is. Our dear little nephew!

Aunt Spiker:
Oh poor wittle Jamesy! Left without a Mummy and a Daddy!

Aunt Sponge:
(She embraces him deeply) But don’t you worry my dear boy,

you’ll be loved by your Aunty Sponge and Your Aunty Spiker!

(Suddenly AUNT SPONGE shoves YOUNG JAMES away, and he falls on his

bum on the ground. AUNT SPONGE AND AUNT SPIKER cackle and

laugh.)

Aunt Spiker:
Well at least we’ve got a little servant! We’ve always wanted

help around the house!

Aunt Sponge:
Come on you disgusting little beast, let’s go home.

Aunt Spiker:
Such a miserable creature he is.

(Both AUNTS exit, and YOUNG JAMES is left to sit bewildered on the floor.

Now enters a taller, older familiar looking fellow. Though he still has

kindness in his eyes, he is tired and broken down by life. No longer the happy

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young boy we first met, we now see who James has become. JAMES holds out

a hand to YOUNG JAMES and helps him up.)

Narrator #2:
Now who’s this?

Narrator #1:
This is James Hentry Trotter after he had been living with his

aunts for eight whole years.

Narrator #2:
But he doesn’t look the same at all! What happened to the

happy little kid!

Young James:
(To Narrator #2) You’re telling me.

James:
I’ll tell you what happened. Those aunts of mine are what happened.

They’re horrible people. Selfish, lazy and cruel. And right from the

beginning they treated me like a filthy nuisance. They certainly never gave

me any toys to play with or picture books to look at. My room is as bare as a

prison cell.

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