Author: Caitlin O'Neill

‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ is a slam-bang panto for the whole darn family

Go up the beanstalk for a musical comedy with a hilarious edge

Allan Cooke and Katie Edwards in Lighthouse Festival’s production of “Jack and the Beanstalk — The Panto.”

Ross Petty eat your heart out. You may have abdicated your Christmas panto throne for the comfort of retirement, but your crown has passed to the head of Derek Ritschel, head honcho for the Lighthouse Festival.

His two theatres, the Lighthouse Festival in Dover and the Roselawn in Port Colborne, are serving up a terrific fractured fairy tale of a show in “Jack and the Beanstalk” that will have adults, as well as the kids, rolling in the aisles.

If you don’t know what pantomime (panto) is, get ready to find out. It’s a full-blown musical comedy with bawdy jokes, lots of songs, men playing women, and women playing men and always in outrageous British pantomime tradition.

Musical director Stephen Ingram sings in Lighthouse Festival’s production of “Jack and the Beanstalk — The Panto.”

Playwright Ken MacDougall and director Jonathan Ellul have put together a great production that will have you bopping in your seat and laughing until your sides ache.

MacDougall has peppered the thing with lots of local references and corny gags. His script allows for lots of audience participation, including a happy Christmas singalong.

There’s lots of booing the villain, a handsome but slimy corporate guy, the CEO of a big brutal company that wants to plow up Ontario farmland and build more of those expensive condominiums.

Ever heard of this?

He’s played by the villainous Cyrus Lane and this triple-threat actor, singer, dancer, happily deserves every audience boo he gets.

Eliza-Jane Scott, left, Sal Figliomeni and Stephen Ingram in Lighthouse Festival’s production of “Jack and the Beanstalk – The Panto

Meantime Princess Buttercup, played by fantastic and vocally strong Katie Edwards, and her father, an addle-pated, muddled-up rubber-faced King (a deliberately over-the-top Allan Cooke), are trying to keep their troubled kingdom together.

Eliza-Jane Scott plays a sly little dude of a Jack, the lad who sells the family cow for a sack of beans and has eyes for Princess Buttercup. This Jack is not the greatest intellect on this fairy tale planet, but he’s a nice sort of kid, decked out in baseball cap and overalls.

Of course, there’s a pantomime Dame, the guy dressed in spectacular, slightly revealing frocks, who’s both raunchy and funny and has a great pair of gams. This is Sal Figliomeni, who sings the heart out of “When You’re Good to Mama” from the musical “Chicago,” as well as anything else he gets his high-powered lungs on.

In fact, this Dame belts out all his numbers to the rafters, and plays his laugh-lines like some Broadway baby on speed.

Sal Figliomeni and Eliza-Jane Scott in Lighthouse Festival’s production of “Jack and the Beanstalk — The Panto.”

It’s worth the price of admission just to see what getup he’s going to turn up in next. My favourite, by the way, was a little Christmas tree number, with balls and poinsettias, in all the right places.

There’s a Pride-inspired fairy with a wand, (a sprightly Lori Nancy Kalamanski). She says to call her MC, and dashes in and out to facilitate the action and takes part in some audience interaction.

In and out of the action too, and a busy wizard on the keyboard, is musical director Stephen Ingram, who has a terrific singing voice and should have been used to more advantage throughout this entertaining show.

William Chesney’s sets are serviceable, even if the actors have to squeeze through some tricky entrance spaces. And Chris Malkowski’s lighting casts a fairy tale glow over everything.

Costume designer Alex Amini has done a great job dressing the characters in fairy tale chic, giving the whole show a classy look.

There’s not quite enough dancing in the show, but choreographer Kiri-Lyn Muir has made a neat number for the villainous CEO and two gingerbread men.

Stephen Ingram, left, and Sal Figliomeni in Lighthouse Festival’s production of “Jack and the Beanstalk — The Panto.” It’s a full-blown musical comedy with bawdy jokes, lots of songs, men playing women and women playing men and always in outrageous British pantomime tradition, Gary Smith writes.

What does it have to do with anything? I don’t know, but hey, this is a panto, so just about anything goes.

If you’ve seen a British panto before you won’t be disappointed with this full-throttle incarnation.

If you’ve never been to one of these outrageous off-the-wall musical shows before, get ready to have a whale of a time.

It’s all about letting go, having fun and playing along with the gang. You will likely unleash your inner child. And what’s wrong with that?

Lighthouse completes renovation of backstage space for actors

Lighthouse Festival are in the final stages of completing a full reconfiguration and renovation of the backstage dressing rooms and greenroom. Lighthouse received funding from the Investing In Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) which sees projects from across Canada funded in part by both the provincial and federal governments. The new backstage layout includes new dressing rooms and two new non-binary washrooms with showers which allows ample space for not only the professional actors from the summer season but also the youth and community actors from the annual Young Company program and the Community show.

“The experience behind the scenes is hugely impactful to the performance on stage and thus to the experience of our patrons in the seats. It is vital that our actors, professional and amateur, have a functional and safe space to prepare for performances,” shared Lighthouse Artistic Director Derek Ritschel.

Casts for the Young Company and Community show can include up to 24 actors, not counting those volunteering with wardrobe, makeup and props who would also be using the space. The separation of the dressing rooms and bathrooms is essential to the functionality of the relatively small space.

The backstage improvement has been on Lighthouse’s radar for several years as strategic capital improvements are crucial to enhancing the facilities quality and appeal for live entertainment while also preserving the heritage of the designated 1904 town hall. Being a part of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program was a huge benefit for Lighthouse and realizing these improvements.

To complete the backstage renovation a series of five paintings will be installed in the greenroom and around the theatre. The paintings have been commissioned from Six Nations of the Grand River artist Kristen Summers and will tell the story of Turtle Island.  The art is set to be installed in the fall. Media and the public will be invited to an open house at this time to view the new greenroom space and the completed art display.