This production of Jack and the Beanstalk is a silly, vibrant, larger-than-life fairytale romp from Phineas Phrog Productions (also responsible for The Bubbles and Mustard Show next week).

Jack’s main preoccupation is telling jokes, in fact his greatest aspiration is to be funny. He tells jokes frequently throughout the show – awful, predictable jokes, most of which delight the children.

James Conway-Law, as Jack, strikes just the right balance between the heroic and the comedic; and all the characters offer up a bounty of terrible puns, toilet humour, and disgusting cooking – what better way to appeal to a child’s sense of humour?!

There’s also a cheesy smattering of topical NZ political humour for the mums and dads.

The over-the-top, lurid costumes (designed by Lee Somerville) appeal to the children’s imagination and also serve to liven things up for those of us seated further back in what is a fairly large theatre. The sound was also well engineered and, apart from a very brief glitch with one of the characters’ mics, audibility was great even up the back.

Jodie Hillock is beautifully expressive as Daisy the cow, the Goose that lays the golden eggs and a melodramatic Signpost.

Jack’s formidable Mother (Julian Wilson) is gratifyingly tyrannical and self-serving. Wilson also plays the giant’s Wife, who has a fetish for kitschy decor and a penchant for experimental cooking using secret, disgusting ingredients.

The play is true to the traditional story (or at least the version I knew as a child) with embellishments, such as Jack’s ambition to be funny (so as to please his absent dad, who imprinted on him the importance of laughter) and his mother’s self-help book – ‘Discover Your Inner Giant’ – which frees the goose and the giant’s wife from their servitude.

The kids (and some of the adults) really get into the audience participation, which involves doing impressions of dangerous animals, and the chicken dance.

The Giant (played by Laurel Devenie) struck me as not very lofty. Of course this effect would be difficult to achieve, but I can’t help feeling that more could have been done in the way of enhancing the illusion. Nevertheless, Devenie’s bellowing, boomy giant voice and oafish hammer-wielding make up for it. My seven-year-old son, when I asked what he thought, assured me that it wasn’t important, what mattered more was that he had a big belly!

My son is fairly discerning these days and gave it two thumbs up – a recommended school holiday diversion.
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