theatre

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

The Review - THEATRE by SIMON WROE
Published: 28 February 2008

Will trade: one milk cow for pile of magic frijoles

JELLY BEAN JACK
Little Angel Theatre

FAIRY tales tend to shirk the finer points of geography. The location of the three little pigs is still unknown, and the council that granted planning permission for a gingerbread house may, sadly, remain a mystery.
When the subject is breached, however, as the Little Angel have done in their new production of Jack and the Beanstalk, it can yield rich rewards. Having put the recent French version of Cinderella to bed, the puppet theatre turns its attention to central America for the tale of a poor boy, his cow and some very special beans.
The Americana influences are evident from the start: an old chevy stops on a dusty plain, evoking a scene from No Country for Old Men, with toys (this is a less traditional affair than Cinderella) instead of blood. And true to the times, the wistful young farmer is feeling the pinch of the supermarket chains. Their refrigerated temples leave slim pickings for Jack, who scrapes a living selling the milk of his mother’s one reluctant cow.
In desperation Jack trades his bovine amigo for a handful of supposedly magic jelly beans which grow into an enormous beanstalk stretching up into the clouds. There, a costive Elvis dabbles in accountancy and coaxes his golden goose into laying glittering, precious eggs.
Director Peter Glanville keeps the pace galumphing along with the aid of puppeteers Nigel Luck and Damon Shaw. My heart went out to the King, robbed by Jack as Walmart had robbed him. Did one injustice deserve another? A few highly-sugared jelly beans might have cured Elvis’s constipation. But when Elvis falls, in a slow motion collapse lovingly ripped from Raging Bull, you can’t help but smile.
Until April 27
020 7226 1787

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

» A-Z of Theatre
» Local Reviews
» Local Listings
» West End Reviews
» West End Listings
» Theatre Tickets
» Theatre & Hotel Packages