The Cultch and Theatre Replacement present Jack & the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto, Dec. 4-29 at the York Theatre, 639 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. Tickets from $18, available at thecultch.com or by calling 604-251-1363.
Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell. .. a chicken rendering plant? A classic fairy tale meets modern-day East Vancouver in Theatre Replacement's production of Jack & the Beanstalk: An East Van Panto, which runs throughout the holiday season at the newly restored York Theatre on Commercial Drive.
"It's sort of a twist on the panto style," explains Maiko Bae Yamamoto who, in a gender-bending move typical of traditional pantomime theatre, plays Jack.
Audiences can expect the show to follow the basic premise of the original Jack & the Beanstalk - a boy and his mother run out of money, so the boy sets out to find a solution to their woes. But Theatre Replacement has taken some liberties in its contemporary urban retelling of the British fairy tale. In this version, Jack and his mom (played by Allan Zinyk in drag) live near Commercial Drive, in the vicinity of the notoriously stinky West Coast Reduction animal rendering facility. Other characters include a conniving real estate agent, giants in therapy and a cow with a bad attitude. And the fabled golden eggs are laid not by a magical goose, but by a backyard chicken.
"The characters are really placed in the location of East Vancouver," Yamamoto says.
A Christmas theatre tradition, pantomime takes familiar fairy tales or nursery stories and adds music, topical jokes and slapstick humour to create comedic, at times raucous, entertainment. For those unfamiliar with the rules of pantomime, Yamamoto says ticket-holders will be briefed at the top of the show.
"The audience is invited to communicate with the cast on stage all the time," she explains. "If the cast is in danger, for instance, if there's somebody creeping up behind them, the audience is encouraged to say 'Look behind you!'" Or if one of the characters states "I'm the most brave person in the world, oh yes I am," the audience is invited to pipe up "Oh no you aren't!" "So there's a lot of that kind of goading that happens between the audience and the players on stage."
Directed by Amiel Gladstone, Jack & the Beanstalk marks Theatre Replacement's first venture into pantomime, a departure from the company's usual work.
"We're really known for doing more experimental smaller-scale shows that tour around," says Yamamoto, who serves as an artistic director of the theatre group, which she formed with fellow artist James Long.
Yamamoto first floated around the idea of a pantomime a few years ago when she started having children and was looking to create a theatre experience for the whole family. Soon enough, the local theatre community jumped on board and the very first East Van Panto was born. Jack & the Beanstalk was written by author and comedian Charles Demers, a regular on CBC radio's The Debaters, and features a layered script laden with double entendres designed to amuse all ages.
"There's music, there's sing-a-long, there's so many fun things inside of it that I think will be entertaining for parents and kids alike."
This is the first show to be performed in the newly restored York Theatre. Built in 1913, the venue was a cultural fixture in Vancouver for years, but eventually fell into a state of disrepair. After much community lobbying, the aging building was rescued from demolition when The Cultch and Wall Financial Corporation struck a deal with the City of Vancouver to give the structure a $14.8 million renovation. Now under the management of The Cultch, the 370-seat theatre will serve primarily as a rental venue for performances and special events.
"It's beautifully finished and designed. It's a proscenium theatre with a fly tower, a little bit of an orchestra pit and great sightlines and really super acoustics," says Heather Redfern, executive director of The Cultch.
Marking the grand reopening of the historic theatre with a pantomime was an obvious choice for Redfern.
"It really harkens back to the York's past when it was the Vancouver Little Theatre," she says, referencing the 50-plus years that the venue was the home of the Vancouver Little Theatre Association. "We really wanted a show that was accessible for all ages, we wanted as many people to come and check out the theatre as possible."
The fact that Jack & the Beanstalk has a distinct East Van flavour makes it all the more appropriate for the York stage, Redfern adds.
"It just captures the spirit of this neighbourhood."
