Piece Comment

Review of THE BFG by Roald Dahl


I just spent a number of minutes trying to figure out which "tones" to assign to this piece. None of them are quite right. This is an adaptation of Roald Dahl's story "The BFG." It's a magical story that has been adapted, performed and produced beautifully by Camel's Hump Radio. It's a children's book, but I listened all alone, an adult in the car, and I was transported dreamily into the world of the story and just thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The producers seem to really "get" how to adapt fiction for the radio, and to create a program that works well, I think, for audiences young and old. The host is great. He speaks in a way that is on a child's level, but he does not speak down to them -- and he gives context to the story that satisfies an adult curiosity. You may not have a slot for this program in your schedule. It's a half hour, and if I were a Program Director I think I would not know where to put it unless I had a storytelling or children's slot in the sked. But it really is worth a listen. I plan to play it for my kids in the car on our next trip, and download more Camel's Hump programs.