RSC announces world premiere of Roald Dahl’s BFG

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced that it will be adapting Roald Dahl’s children novel The BFG for the stage.

Working alongside Chichester Festival Theatre and the Roald Dahl Story Company, the new stage adaptation will open at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon for a 10-week run over the festive season in 2025.

The BFG tells the story of a young orphan named Sophie who befriends a giant and they embark on a mission together to stop other giants from eating children.

The show is the first RSC stage adaptation of a Roald Dahl novel since Matilda the Musical in 2010.

The production will be directed by RSC’s co-artistic director Daniel Evans.

Speaking to BBC News, he said he was excited about the show and that it would appeal to both adults and children as “everyone has dreams and the story shows that if you believe hard enough, your dreams can come true”.

Another important character in the book is the Queen who helps the BFG and Sophie save the children.

Based on Queen Elizabeth II, Evans said that as adults will have grown up with her as their monarch, there’s something “even more poignant” about her character.