A fun fact you may not know about the classic children’s book The BFG is that Roald Dahl wrote it for his daughter Sophie. He wanted to create a special world in which giants may well be part of fiction and fairy tales, but what if the world of fact and fiction crossed, and giants actually did exist? Dahl’s creativity led to one giant who was different than the rest – The Big Friendly Giant (BFG), whose only purpose is to maintain his secrecy and spread good dreams to children everywhere. When our heroine Sophie spots him at work and is kidnapped to keep his identity a secret, both their worlds change for the better.
In order to make this magical tale work, up until this point, we have seen two major adaptations in film. One is an animation that I loved as a child, with David Jason voicing The BFG himself. The other is a beautiful mixture of 3D animation and real life, with Mark Gatiss in the title role. Being a huge Roald Dahl fan, I was curious to see how this special collaboration between Chichester Festival Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Singapore Repertory Theatre, Esplanade and The Roald Dahl Story Company would bring this magical tale to the stage. Part of me was concerned that they would change too much of the story and lose what Dahl originally captured. I needn’t have worried! What emerged was the most magical, enchanting, funny and dramatic adaptation that was not only faithful to the original tale, but also expanded upon some elements to enrich the experience.
In order to create the giants in question, we knew that puppetry of some sort would have to be involved to create the illusion of towering over everyone. What none of us expected was a dynamic play of perspectives using a combination of puppetry, real people and the most slick transitional choreography that didn’t just purely rely on the giants being the main focus. Each perspective changed from seeing the BFG from the real Sophie’s viewpoint using a puppet team that was reminiscent of War Horse, to the tiniest puppetry possible as we saw Sophie from the real BFG’s perspective. The danger with the expectation of staying with one viewpoint can be that the energy becomes extremely monotonous. However, switching between a real person and a puppet created a sensory dynamic that transcended all expectations and made us gasp in wonder as every magical transition took place, leaving no room for the energy to settle for too long.
Combined with music that complemented each scene and mood perfectly, and simple scenery fused with vibrant visual projections that showed the BFG’s journey across the world to make sure he got to where he needed to be, this show transcended the original book and gave us a dream-like state we didn’t want to wake up from. Having said that, the nightmarish reality of the more evil giants added the viewpoint that even a giant can be tiny compared to them. I would never have believed it possible till now, what detail and skill are involved to create Giant Country and all who live in it.
It was clear from the way the whole cast and crew threw themselves into the action that they really enjoyed playing with the text and the colourful words Dahl created. All thanks to the talents of writers Tom Wells and Jenny Worton, who made everything come to life.
The cast was one of the strongest, united stage forces seen in a long time as they played with comedic physicality, dance, and playful wit to flesh out each character as they appeared. They were led by the visceral talent of John Leader’s BFG. Leader embraced our unlikely hero by allowing a gentle playfulness with the unique language he spoke and did not hide behind the words. I say not hide, as it can be very easy to treat sentences such as ‘I is eating a snozzcumber’ as a Shakespearean text with its distinctive rhythm. In this case, Leader allowed himself to relax into the rhythm and spoke each word with no forced actions, which in turn, enabled us to have a special connection with him as we saw through his deepening relationship with Martha Bailey Vine’s fiesty, yet innocent Sophie, the world he knew. The one that allowed us to dream and escape. As his and Vine’s relationship got closer, we likewise deepened our understanding of his soul and mind. A very hard feat to achieve!
In turn, we got to see The Queen’s part in the story expanded to enhance this beautiful stage adaptation. Portrayed in a respectful, yet child-like, joyful way that was reminiscent of Miranda Richardson’s Queenie from Blackadder by Helena Lymbery, this queen was tired of being stuck in a constant loop until Sophie and the BFG entered her life. She showed such subtle, yet strong emotional transitions as she not only attempted to handle her boredom, but also her troublesome servants who tried to keep her on the straight and narrow. Each gesture was so precise that if her majesty the queen were alive still, she would very likely approve of this version of herself.
The unexpected highlights of this royal household were the dynamic duo of Captain Smith (Philip Labey) and Captain Firth (Luke Summer), whose relationship with each other had a strong brotherly feel, with an additional element that gave a small nod to Laurel and Hardy’s physical comedy genius. So much so, I will never look at huge moustaches in the same way again!
The BFG is full of action, comedy and adventure. Roald Dahl would, I am sure, be delighted with this adaptation and is not to be missed whilst on tour. It’s magical beyond belief and grants every wish possible.
Review by Sascha Cooper
One extraordinary night, a young orphan named Sophie is snatched by a giant and taken far away to Giant Country. There she learns that human-eating giants are guzzling ‘norphans’ the world over. But she soon discovers that her new friend, the BFG, is different – he’s a dream-catching, snozzcumber-munching gentle soul who refuses to eat humans.
While other giants wreak havoc on the world, the BFG ignites Sophie’s imagination, and they devise a daring plan to save children everywhere. In the end, the smallest human bean and the gentlest giant prove that a dream can change the world.
Cast in order of appearance:
Sophie – Martha Bailey Vine
Sophie Head – Alisa Dalling
Sophie Body – Aki Nakagawa
Kimberley – Uma Patel
The BFG – John Leader
BFG Head – Ben Thompson
BFG Body – Shaun McCourt
BFG Arms – Elisa de Grey and Onioluwa Taiwo
The Queen – Helena Lymbery
Tibbs – Sargon Yelda
Bloodbottler – Richard Riddell
Bloodbottler Head – Fred Davies
Bloodbottler Body – Corey Mitchell
Bloodbottler Arms – Parkey Abeyratne and Sonya Cullingford
Captain Smith – Philip Labey
Captain Firth – Luke Summer
Swings – J.R Ballantyne and Lottie Johnson
Creatives:
Adapted by Tom Wells. With additional material by Jenny Worton
Director – Daniel Evans
Puppetry Designer and Director – Toby Olié
Set Designer – Vicki Mortimer
Costume Designer – Kinnetia Isidore
Lighting Designer – Zoe Spurr
Video Designer – Akhila Krishnan
Illusions – Chris Fisher
Composer – Oleta Haffner
Sound Designer – Carolyn Downing
Choreographer and Movement Director – Ira Mandela Siobhan
Puppetry Co-Designers – Daisy Beattie and Seb Mayer
Music Supervisor, Additional Orchestrations and Arrangements – Theo Jamieson
Music Director – Máth Roberts
Casting Director – Christopher Worral CDG
Children’s Casting Director – Verity Naughton CDG
Dramaturg – Jenny Worton
Associate Director – Louise Shephard
Senior Associate Set Designer – Matt Helyer
Sound System Designer – Steven Atkinson
Assistant Music Director – Sara de Sanctis
Production Manager – David Tanqueray
Assistant Production Manager – Lucy Guyver
Costume Supervisor – Zoe Thomas-Webb
Props Supervisor – Jess Buckley
Deputy Props Supervisor – Katrina Stewart
Wigs, Hair and Makeup Supervisors – Sarah Kemp and Sandra Smith
Company Manager – Maria Baker
Stage Manager – Peter Barnett
Deputy Stage Manager – Andrew Reed
Assistant Stage Manager (book cover) – Vincent Chen
Assistant Stage Manager (illusions) – Declan Smith
Assistant Stage Manager (puppets) – Dan Cook
Musicians:
Keyboard 1 – Máth Roberts
Keyboard 2 – Connor Fogel
Violin/Viola – Sarah Crisp
French Horn – Chris Beagles
Piccolo/Flute/Bass Clarinet – Clare-Louise Appleby
Bassoon/Contrabassoon – Fiona Troon
Percussion – Beth Higham-Edwards
Special thanks:
CFT Lead Chaperone – Janette McAlpine
RSC Lead Chaperone – Diane Ford
RSC Children’s Planning Manager and Chaperone – Billie Ikeda
House Parents – Emily Armitage, Diane Ford and Billie Ikeda
Tutors – Amanda Duckworth and Stuart Morris
Chaperones – Jennie Beadle and Boo Chapman
Roald Dahl’s
THE BFG
Chichester Festival Theatre
9 March to 11 April 2026
