The Prince Street Players were a Manhattan children's-theatre troupe (of adult actors) staging musical versions of traditional European fairy tales, with scripts and songs written by Jim Eiler. Eiler's scripts tended to be straightforward retellings of the beloved classics, with very little modernisation or topical humour. (Unilike the panto versions that are popular in Britain, which insert modern references and comic business into the stories.) The troupe featured talented and personable performers, but the strongest asset of the Prince Street Players was the musical talent of Jim Eiler, who wrote catchy melodies and deft lyrics for each of his shows.
In 'Jack and the Beanstalk', the best song is given to young Jack, who explains his ambition in a solo number: 'I've gotta climb up, gotta climb up, climb up the beanstalk. I never have seen, never have seen, seen such a green stalk...' We get the usual plot line here: Jack Sprague (why not Sprat?) is the sole support of his widowed old mother, ever since Jack's father vanished one night. Now Jack barters Betsy the cow in exchange for some magic beans. The song about the magic beans is less successful than the one about the beanstalk: 'Beans! Beans! I have magic beans! I have magic...' 'HE has magic...' '...I have magic beans!' Beans, anyone?
A real drawback to any stage production of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' is the difficulty of casting a human actor in the role of the Giant. British pantos traditionally cast an extremely large man such as Freddie Mills in the role. (And the Goodies cast Alfie Bass as the smallest giant in the world.) Here, the Giant is played by Will B. Able, a talented performer who is an odd choice for the part, as he's not very intimidating in his demeanour, and is the same size as the adult actor (Hal Holden) who plays the boy Jack. (I once met Will B. Able; yes, that's his real name, and he kept a copy of his birth certificate handy in case anybody doubted him.) Able tries hard but is miscast in this villainous role.
VERY SLIGHT SPOILER COMING. This production is very enjoyable but has no surprises; perhaps that's a good choice, as it's intended for children. In the Giant's kingdom, Jack steals a magical harp and a goose that lays golden eggs. He also frees his father, who has been a prisoner of the giant all these years. They all get home happily, and Jack and his father sing a reprise of the beanstalk song. Maybe I don't know beans, but I'll rate this delightful production 9 out of 10, for Eiler's score and the talented cast.
In 'Jack and the Beanstalk', the best song is given to young Jack, who explains his ambition in a solo number: 'I've gotta climb up, gotta climb up, climb up the beanstalk. I never have seen, never have seen, seen such a green stalk...' We get the usual plot line here: Jack Sprague (why not Sprat?) is the sole support of his widowed old mother, ever since Jack's father vanished one night. Now Jack barters Betsy the cow in exchange for some magic beans. The song about the magic beans is less successful than the one about the beanstalk: 'Beans! Beans! I have magic beans! I have magic...' 'HE has magic...' '...I have magic beans!' Beans, anyone?
A real drawback to any stage production of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' is the difficulty of casting a human actor in the role of the Giant. British pantos traditionally cast an extremely large man such as Freddie Mills in the role. (And the Goodies cast Alfie Bass as the smallest giant in the world.) Here, the Giant is played by Will B. Able, a talented performer who is an odd choice for the part, as he's not very intimidating in his demeanour, and is the same size as the adult actor (Hal Holden) who plays the boy Jack. (I once met Will B. Able; yes, that's his real name, and he kept a copy of his birth certificate handy in case anybody doubted him.) Able tries hard but is miscast in this villainous role.
VERY SLIGHT SPOILER COMING. This production is very enjoyable but has no surprises; perhaps that's a good choice, as it's intended for children. In the Giant's kingdom, Jack steals a magical harp and a goose that lays golden eggs. He also frees his father, who has been a prisoner of the giant all these years. They all get home happily, and Jack and his father sing a reprise of the beanstalk song. Maybe I don't know beans, but I'll rate this delightful production 9 out of 10, for Eiler's score and the talented cast.
