Jack & The Beanstalk

Bradford & Webster

A giant of a pantomime with a host of wonderful comedy characters. The villagers of Greendale are under the cosh. The Giant Blunderbore, with the help of his evil sidekick, Grotviler, is bleeding them dry, and the pompous but terrified Mayor is kowtowing to the Giant’s will, taxing the villagers for all he is worth. The good Fairy Haricot Vert arrives from France, to help Greendale’s downtrodden populous. Grotviler is not happy about the arrival of Harricot Vert, and throughout the pantomime, there are some cleverly‐rhymed exchanges between these two characters. Dame Tilly Trot is suffering more than most. Her dairy isn’t doing very well and her sons, Jack and Simple Simon, don’t possess great business brains. The only way to pay the Dame’s back‐taxes and rent arrears is to sell her cow, Buttercup, so Jack is sent to the market to get a good price. When Jack returns with a handful of beans, Dame Trot throws them out of the window, only to find, next morning, that a giant beanstalk has grown in her garden. Meanwhile, Grotviler kidnaps Jack’s sweetheart, Jill, who is the daughter of the very posh, Lady Lotsadosh. Jack sets off up the beanstalk to rescue Jill. He succeeds, and also manages to snatch the Giant’s treasure, before racing back to the beanstalk, with Blunderbore hot on their heels. Jack and Jill reach the bottom of the beanstalk, and the plant is quickly cut down, sending Blunderbore crashing to the ground. Jack is a hero, Jill accepts his proposal of marriage, and the Mayor announces an end to all taxes.

6M, 5F plus evil giant Blunderbore and Buttercup, small roles can be played by chorus members