ROALD DAHL’S wonderful stories are such an integral part of childhood that it’s a brave person who attempts to recreate them.

David Wood has done a great job of condensing The BFG novel down into a 77-minute stage show with all the best bits intact.

There’s frobscottle- induced whizzpopping, disgustrous snozzcumbers and terrifying trogglehumpers.

The main challenge of scale is tackled with puppets – a miniature Sophie in the first act allowing Anthony Pedley to play the Big Friendly Giant at human size and, in the second, a BFG whose head nearly bumps into the ceiling of the theatre when it comes to having breakfast with the Queen.

This trick gives Pedley the chance to bring out all of the character traits that make the giant so well loved – his imaginative language, sense of fun and concern for the little girl he has taken from her bed in the orphanage.

The actor, who made his theatrical debut at the Liverpool Everyman in 1965, has the playful innocence of the Quentin Blake illustrations, but having Sophie as a puppet means the bond growing between these unlikely friends isn’t well expressed.

The effect works better in the second half, when the BFG dominates the stage and there’s a particularly nice piece of shadow puppetry when the helicopters string up the nasty giants and fly them back to England.

The special effects are simple but have clever touches, such as the dream jars lighting up when their corks are removed.

Becky John’s Sophie is far too trilling, but her childish movements are well observed.

And the supporting cast are multi-talented, playing children, horrible human bean eating giants, footmen, maids and royalty as well as providing the soundtrack live on stage.

THE BFG is at the Liverpool Playhouse until Saturday November 7.

LAURA DAVIS