Get JACKED!

~ By Mariah L. Richardson

The pandemic has shuttered theaters across the country for almost a year, now. But, this has not stopped theater companies from coming up with creative ways to bring us live theatre. After all, the show must go on. We spend copious amounts of time on Zoom and many companies have turned to the internet to do a variant of live performance online and on streaming platforms. Metro Theater Company is no exception however, their latest production, Jacked!, by Idris Goodwin, a contemporary retelling of the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, manages to deliver a socially relevant story without the confines of tiny Zoom boxes.

Jacked! is a visually stunning work in its simplicity of animated drawings conceived and rendered by Nick Kryah. Kryah created over 75 pictures that then were animated by animation designer, Michael Tran. Though the work is 2D, by using basic techniques of filmmaking, Tran brings to life Kryah’s images. The hip hop soundtrack is provided by Jackie “Jackpot” Sharp and gives the piece memorable musical tidbits.

Like, “Put in the dirt, that’s how they work”

when Mink, the unsavory character that trades three magic beans in exchange for Jack’s cow, explains how to use the beans.

The story begins with the traditional telling of the fable Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack returns home to his mother who in a fit of anger throws the beans out the window and sends Jack to bed without any supper. Jack awakes the next morning to find a giant beanstalk outside his window which he promptly climbs. He finds himself inside a giant’s castle where he meets a talking harp and spies a goose who lays golden eggs. He steals the goose, flees the castle with the giant fast on his trail. When he reaches the bottom, he and his mother tear down the beanstalk which results in the death of the giant, who lands on one of Jack’s neighbor’s house.

All seems to be going well until Jack cannot get any money for the golden eggs. Then a strange turn of events. His mother begins to eat the eggs and they give her a “powerful feeling”. Then grownups in the town begin to eat the eggs and they want more and more until the goose can no longer lay. What has Jack done? All he wanted was to help his mom and his community but things have gotten out of hand. What can he do to remedy his mistake? He returns to Mink but things only get worse. The goose however, longing to return to the giant’s castle steals magic beans from Mink. Another beanstalk grows and Jack returns her only to find the wife of the giant. Will Jack make it out alive? What will happen to his mom and neighbors back home?

Idris Goodwin does an excellent job in tackling substance abuse in a way that young audiences can understand and appreciate. Under the talent of Director Jamie McKittrick, the cast is quite capable of delivering this tale with voices that are captivating to listen to. We do get a chance to see the cast; Jarris L. Williams (Jack), Rockwell Knuckles (ensemble), and Aloha Mischeaux (ensemble) in cutaways set in a color ball lit recording studio. To round out the crew is Ben Arnold (sound engineer) and Jimmy Bernatowicz (stage manager)

Shows are streaming from January 21 - March 31, 2021. Total Running time is 50 minutes. Pay-per-view streaming tickets start at $16.

To book Jacked! for a virtual field trip at your school or organization, contact Liz Sondhaus, Community Engagement and Audience Development Manager, at 314.932.7414 x105 or liz@metroplays. org. School performances are available in a continuous 45-minute version or in a three-episode version to spread the production across multiple class days. A full educator’s guide with interactive prompts, accompanies all school bookings.