Jack and the Beanstalk

Crabgrass Puppet Theatre’s hilarious retelling of the tallest of tales is full of fun and loaded with laughs. The gorgeously whimsical stage houses a life-sized cow, a mysterious Funny Little Man, and Jack's ever-patient Mom. Once Jack finally tracks down his repeatedly disappearing cow and trades her for some magical juggling beans, he returns in triumph to his mother only to find that she is not impressed. "I can't believe you fell for the old Magic Bean routine!" Mom sighs. "Throw them out right now and go to bed." But Jack plants the beans and goes to bed, dreaming of a giant beanstalk.

Jack and Milky White, the cow


Jack's dreams come true! The beanstalk grows overnight in front of our eyes, wrapping itself around the cottage and ending up on the top level of the stage, where Jack finds the Giant's wife, Bernice, and the Giant himself. One by one, Jack relieves the sleeping giant of his favorite toys: his argumentative but productive hen, his singing bag of money, and his magic harp (which has an annoying habit of playing the giant's least-favorite song).

This exciting re-imagining of “Jack and the Beanstalk” is performed on a two-level stage. On the “downstairs” level, Jack is a masked actor and interacts with life-sized puppets of his mother, the Funny Little Man (who trades Jack the beans for his cow), and, of course, the cow herself. The upper level is the giant’s home in the clouds, where Jack appears as a puppet, dwarfed by the giant and his wife, Bernice. In between, Jack appears as a shadow puppet, climbing the beanstalk.

Crabgrass Puppet Theatre's innovative production of "Jack and the Beanstalk" is a feast of visuals and sound, with a stunning stage, big and beautiful puppets, a rhyme-spouting giant, a marvelous growing beanstalk, and a delightful musical score.

 
Giant in window

Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall formed Crabgrass Puppet Theatre in San Francisco in 1982 and have delighted audiences across the nation with their whimsical humor and puppetry ever since. Their performing venues have included the Detroit Institute of Art, the Smithsonian, Paper Mill Playhouse, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have been awarded two Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, the highest puppetry award in the United States, and in 2009, Bonny Hall was awarded a Design Commendation from the Arlyn Award Foundation for “The Day It Snowed Tortillas.”

    "What a terrific show! I hope we can have you back!"
  • . . . Glen Rock Library
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