By Judi Straughan
When you sit across the table from Alessandro Costantini and
hear him talk about how he first fell in love with performing,
it's hard not to smile.
Costantini, a 14-year-old Grade 9 student at St. Charles
College and graduate of St. John's, is James in the Sudbury
Theatre Centre's production of James and the Giant Peach. This
classic Roald Dahl tale of a young boy and his unusual friends
is every bit as exciting as another Dahl favourite, Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory.
When Costantini was five or six years old, he would herd his
relatives into the living and, with his hair-comb microphone in
hand, would croon away to his favourite CD, The Backstreet
Boys.
With this revelation, Costantini begins blushing as he
remembers himself as a five-year- old singing passionately into
his comb.
"I can't believe all the things I did so I could have a chance
to perform. By the time I was eight years old, my friend Kyle
and I would put on shows in our back yard, making tickets,
selling them to neighbours for a dollar each, setting up lawn
chairs - even making beverages for the audience."
Fast forward past his first Caruso Club appearance at age 10,
his elementary school shows at St John's - an impressive list
that includes Jungle Book, Aladdin and The Wizard of Oz - to
his first Theatre Cambrian Show about three years ago.
"My neighbour Larry saw the audition ad for Annie Get Your Gun
and thought I should try out.
"It was so fun - so cool.  I loved the hot side of the
lights.  My character Jake was a southern dude who got to
speak in an accent and who had lots of funny lines."
He must have been a hit because Theatre Cambrian quickly nabbed
Costantini for two more musicals, Oliver, where he played the
"super-smart" Artful Dodger and Beauty and the Beast a "cool
show."  His hands and feet become animated as he talks
about his favourite scene, the tap-dancing number.
When STC's notice appeared about James and the Giant Peach,
Costantini knew he would fight for the part.
"I really wanted it.  I wanted to keep developing and
wanted the chance to do a professional show."
It's safe to say, Alessandro Costantini is where he belongs,
doing what he loves doing.  His effusive energy, dancing
eyes and complete sincerity will, without doubt, breathe magic
into James in a way that would make Roald Dahl's heart
sing.
James and the Giant Peach plays weekends at the STC from Dec. 2
to 17.  Four of the eleven shows are already sold out.
Judi Straughan is the education co-ordintor at the Sudbury Theatre Centre.
