Cork Opera House
Call me Scrooge, but even the spirit of Christmas Past might feel a little daunted by a script which relies so heavily on peeing and farting for its laughs as that used for
Jack and the Beanstalk
. Written by Director Bryan Flynn and Killian Donnelly, this may have been considered ideal for an adult audience, or at least an audience of adults willing to be entertained by lavatory humour which might, just might, be thought amusing by schoolboys. Luckily for the Opera House, this seems to be so here, and there could be no doubting the enjoyment of young and old and their engagement with everything and everyone on stage, including a lavatory bowl.
The real, or substantial, thrills of this production come from the clever use of technology and the smooth mixing of media with the audio-visual components supplied by Mick Hurley, who is also responsible for the attractive lighting design. Experts at the quick costume change, the choral and dance teams work very well together and in several scenes, especially those of the circus and the giant’s gold gallery, provide some spectacular diversions in a fairly frantic series of events. These of course involve the cow, some topical commentary on rents and repossessions and the magic beans which lead Jack to the land stalked by the giant (another instance of creative projection) and to wealth and true love.
In his hard-working commitment to his role, Ben Morris, as Jack, maintains his direct appeal to the youngsters throughout a show which uses most of the theatre’s technical resources to good effect, while Trevor Ryan as the villain, fairly predictably called Snotmil, manages to cut himself brilliantly in two as Smilton. Although Declan Wolfe has to caricature a gay side-kick suffering from urinary incontinence, his energy is impressive, as is that of the band, led by Ronan Holohan.
What a pity it is that all these talents could not be harnessed to something a little more original. Although there are lots of jokes, there is little or no wit, the goose that lays the golden eggs is replaced by a hen, while songs with such lyrics as "I'll get her hot, show her what I've got" also imply an absense of imagination sympathetic to childhood. Until Jan 24
