Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester – until Saturday 11th April 2026
Reviewed by Sally Lumley
5*****
Chichester Festival Theatre has started Festival 2026 with a whizzpopping bang with the arrival of The BFG this week. Based on the beloved 1982 novel by Roald Dahl, the story follows the Big Friendly Giant (John Leader) and orphan Sophie (Martha Bailey Vine) as they form an unlikely friendship and, with a little help from Buckingham Palace, hatch a plan to stop the larger “human bean” eating giants from devouring the remaining “norphans” of London.
This production, created in collaboration with the Roald Dahl Story Company, fully captures the magic of the book we all remember from childhood. Lighting, sound and special effects are used imaginatively to bring the wonder of Giant Country to life, with dreams phizzwhizzing around the theatre to create a truly spellbinding atmosphere. But the magic goes far beyond clever effects. The changes in perspective that show the enormous giants alongside tiny Sophie are wonderfully done. The puppeteers are the heroes here, breathing life into puppets of all sizes and seamlessly conveying the dramatic differences in scale between characters.
John Leader is a wonderful BFG, full of warmth, charm and gentle humour. He captures the giant’s kind-hearted nature beautifully and forms a delightful partnership with Martha Bailey Vine’s Sophie. This Sophie is modern, intelligent and spirited, bringing plenty of sass to the role while retaining the character’s bravery and curiosity.
The supporting cast shines too, with scene-stealing turns from Captain Smith (Philip Labey) and Captain Frith (Luke Sumner), whose comic timing had the audience in stitches. However, none of the dark, gruesome details that are so characteristic of Dahl’s stories are spared. The giants are filthy, grotesque creatures, and Richard Riddell as Bloodbottler perfectly captures the revolting humour of the role.
The BFG brings all the best moments of the book to life with warmth, whimsy and plenty of laugh-out-loud comedy. The delumptious, whizzpopping finale left my 10-year-old howling with laughter. At its heart, the story reminds us that anyone—from a tiny orphan, to a giant, to even the Queen of England—has the power to stand up and do something extraordinary. I attended with three generations of my family, aged 10 to 75, and we all agreed it was wonderful, with so many favourite moments it was impossible to choose just one. This is a magical, funny and heartwarming production that will delight and surprise audiences of all ages, and I’m sure it will receive many more standing ovations like the one the audience gave it last night.