James and the Giant Peach Page #3

James:
No sir.

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Magic Man:
Whoever they meet first, be it a bug, insect, animal or tree, that

will be the one who gets the full power of their magic! So hold the bag tight

James!

Chorus of Green Magic: (Whispering loudly) Hold the bag tight James!

Magic Man:
Don’t tear the paper!

Chorus of Green Magic: Don’t tear the paper!

Magic Man:
Off you go! Hurry Up!

Chorus of Green Magic: Hurry up James!

(Suddenly THE CHORUS OF GREEN MAGIC runs down the centre aisle

and surrounds JAMES in a circle. Then, they open up into a semi-circle so

that he can be seen. HE takes off running, with the CHORUS OF GREEN

MAGIC following close behind him. As they all run, the NARRATORS

continue their story.)

Narrator #1:
James was running back toward the house as fast as he could

go.

Narrator #2:
He was heading to the kitchen right? To find the perfect jug to

mix the concoction in?

Narrator #1:
Exactly right! He was terribly excited, but in the distance he

could see Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker through the window sitting in their

chairs in front of the telly.

Narrator #2:
Well he should go to the other side of the house, so they don’t

catch him! (Shouting to JAMES) Go in the back door James!

(As if hearing, JAMES turns suddenly and runs to the front of the

auditorium, the CHORUS OF GREEN MAGIC in pursuit.)

Narrator #1:
He swerved away from the window so he wouldn’t be seen, but

then suddenly just as he was passing underneath the old peach tree that

stood in the middle of the garden, something terrible happened!

(JAMES slips and falls, letting loose the precious paper bag.)

Narrator #2:
Oh no! The bag!

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(Suddenly, THE CHORUS OF GREEN MAGIC runs around the tree several

times. And immediately tries to spread out through the gym, each running in

a different direction. Frantically, JAMES gets up and tries to catch one or two

of the CHORUS members, but each escapes until they are all gone from the

gym and JAMES is left alone.)

James:
Good heavens, what if those magic things do meet up with an

earthworm? Or a centipede? Or a spider? And what if they do go into the

roots of the peach tree? What have I done?

AUNT SPONGE and AUNT SPIKER appear on the stage now, above JAMES

who is on the gym floor.)

Aunt Sponge:
Get up at once you lazy beast!

Aunt Spiker:
Get back over there immediately and finish chopping up those

logs!

Aunt Sponge:
Why don’t we just the lower the boy down the well in a bucket

and leave him there for the night? That ought to teach him not to laze about

the whole day.

Aunt Spiker:
That’s a very good idea my dear Sponge. But let’s make him

finish chopping up the wood first. Be off with you at once you hideous brat,

and do some work!

(Slowly and sadly, JAMES gets up off of the ground and returns to the

imaginary woodpile. He begins miming chopping wood again. Suddenly we

hear SPIKER shouting.)

Aunt Spiker:
Sponge! Sponge! Look at that!

Aunt Sponge:
At what?

Aunt Spiker:
It’s a peach!

Aunt Sponge:
A what?

Aunt Spiker:
A peach! Right up there on the highest branch! Can’t you see

it?

Aunt Sponge:
You’re teasing me Spiker! You’re making my mouth water on

purpose when there’s nothing to feed me. Why that trees never even had a

blossom on it, let alone a peach.

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Aunt Spiker:
A nice big one too!

Aunt Sponge:
Very funny! Haha, I can’t see a thing!

(NARRATOR #1 strolls down from his/her position, and approaches the

Peach Tree. In his/her hand is a peach about the size of a Chinese lantern

with a hook to hang on the tree.)

Narrator #1:
Here’s where the next peculiar thing began, because as you can

see here, Aunt Spiker was quite right about the beautiful big peach.

(NARRATOR #1, hangs the peach on the tree, and gazes at it admiringly.

Meanwhile, JAMES has noticed the peach, and approaches the NARRATOR,

who briefuly puts his/her around JAMES and together they point at the

peach. Then he/she returns to his/her place on stage.)

Aunt Sponge:
Good gracious me! There really is a peach up there!

Aunt Spiker:
It looks ripe to me!

Aunt Sponge:
Then why don’t we eat it! (licking her lips) We can each have

half. Hey you! James! Come over here at once!

(Obediently, JAMES dashes over to his two loathsome aunts.)

Aunt Sponge:
Now get over there and climb that tree!

(Obediently, JAMES dashes BACK over to the tree. He assesses it as if

determining how to climb it.)

Aunt Sponge:
I want you to pick that peach up there on the highest branch!

Can you see it?

James:
Yes Auntie Sponge, I can see it!

Aunt Sponge:
And don’t you dare eat any of it yourself! Your Aunt Spiker

and I are going to have it between the two of us. Right here and right now.

Half each. NOW GET UP THERE YOU BRAT!

(JAMES mimes about to climb the tree.)

Aunt Spiker:
STOP! Hold everything!

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(JAMES freezes.)

Aunt Spiker:
Look! Sponge, just look!

Aunt Sponge:
What’s the matter with you?

Aunt Spiker:
It’s growing!

James:
You’re right Aunt Spiker! It’s getting bigger and bigger!

Aunt Sponge:
Shut it you little turd. I can see that for myself.

Aunt Spiker:
It’s nearly twice as big already!

Aunt Sponge:
It can’t be true!

Narrator #2:
But it is true! Even I can see it for myself. In half a minute it

was the size of a melon. In another half minute it was twice as big again.

Narrator #1:
Then it was so big it looked like an enormous butter-coloured

pumpkin dangling from the top of the tree.

Aunt Spiker:
Get away from that tree trunk you stupid boy. The slightest

shake and I’m sure it’ll fall off! It must weigh twenty or thirty pounds at

least!

Aunt Sponge:
Stand back! If it’s coming down I don’t want it to fall on you.

We wouldn’t want the peach to be damaged.

Aunt Spiker:
(nearly hysterical) The branch is going to break!

Narrator #1:
But the branch didn’t break. It simply bent over more and more

as the peach got heavier and heavier. And still it went on growing.

Narrator #2:
In another minute the mammoth fruit was as large and as

round as Aunt Sponge herself.

Narrator #1:
You’re really getting into the story now!

Aunt Spiker:
It has to stop! It can’t go on growing forever!

Narrator #2:
But it didn’t stop did it?

Narrator #1:
Nope. Soon it was the size of a small car, and reached half way

to the ground. Of course by now both Aunts were crazy with excitement. But

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Spiker’s greedy little mind in particular, had turned from filling their bellies,

to filling their wallets.

Aunt Spiker:
Hallelujah! What a peach!

Aunt Sponge:
Terrifico! Spledifico!

James:
Oh it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

Aunt Spiker:
Shut up you little twerp! It’s none of your business.

Aunt Sponge:
That’s right, it’s got nothing to do with you whatsoever. Keep

out of it!

Narrator #1:
Throughout the night those two aunts were determined to watch

the peach grow, but soon their lazy eyes couldn’t stay awake and they fell

asleep.

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