The Highland Arts Theatre, located in Downtown Sydney, is just under a month away from opening Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Comedy Pantomime. The show follows in the British tradition of pantomime where characters onstage are in dialogue with the audience throughout the entire show, engaging them through music, dance, and comedy, all while flipping a familiar children’s story into something more contemporary. This marks a first for the HAT and Cape Breton.

The show is directed by HAT Artistic and Executive Director Wesley J. Colford who said, “I think a familiar version of this would be the Shrek films. It’s full of adventure, action, music and comedy - some of which is for the kids and some is cleverly crafted for to go over the heads of the younger members of the audience for the adults to enjoy. Maybe one of the biggest misconceptions is that it’s a show only for kids, but it really is made so anyone and everyone can escape into a laugh-filled joyous adventure in a way only theatre can.”

HAT General Manager Adriana Dimitri adds, “These are classic characters in a classic story, but the comedy and music is all about what’s happening right now in the world. You’ve got music as iconic as ABBA hits, next to songs as new as Billie Eilish. The comedy pulls from what’s happening in the world right now, while pulling gags from things like Looney Tunes and the Marx Brother’s. It’s all relevant to right now, for the sake of pure entertainment.”

The creative team alongside Colford consists of Chris Tsujiuchi as Music Director and Sarah Prosper as choreographer, who audiences may know from her hit show Samqwan which played at the HAT in 2021 and again 2022 before touring in eastern Canada. The cast comprises of an entirely local team of actors, singers, dancers, and comedians including many faces that regularly star in shows on the HAT stage.

November 22nd is a Pay-What-You-Choose performance provided by the downtown theatre’s Radical Access program. Tickets must be booked in advance but range from $0.00 to regular ticket price. Tickets are available on a first come first serve basis and are already approaching sold out.

Jack and the Beanstalk: A Musical Comedy Pantomime opens November 22nd and runs the to 26th, playing at 7:30pm with a 2:00pm matinee added on the 26th.

Tickets are priced as $42.00+HST for adults and $27.00+HST for anyone age 23 and under.

Tickets can all be booked online at www.highlandartstheatre.com, by phone at (902) 565-3637, or in person at the HAT's box office at 40 Bentinck Street in Downtown Sydney between noon and 6:00PM, Monday to Friday.