Jack and the Beanstalk (Sort of)

Kid Carpet & The Noisy Animals bring Jack and the Beanstalk (Sort of) to Pegasus Theatre on Sunday 8 November, with two sessions that day at 11:00 and 14:00. It's a family panto for ages 4-11, and the title gives away the whole thing: it's not exactly the version you're expecting.

The setup is half the joke. Kid Carpet doesn't care for panto, but The Noisy Animals absolutely love it, so they've staged their own version with a beanstalk right in the middle. Bear, Gorilla, Badger and Hedgehog take the lead roles, and Hedgehog's golden eggs might make an appearance too. It's described as part air-guitar workshop, part magical mess, and the company calls it theatre that is loud, proud and completely off its bean(stalk).

That DIY spirit comes from the top. The company is led by Ed Patrick, who made a splash in the national press and radio in the early 2000s playing electro-punk pop with children's toys as instruments, and his theatre work carries on that same homemade aesthetic. This isn't his first go at this kind of thing either — it follows Noisy Holiday, Noisy Neighbours, Noisy Nativity, Kid Carpet & The Noisy Garden Centre and Super Mega Rockin' Rock Show. This one is directed by Chris Collier, with Stephanie Kempson on dramaturgy and Natalie Otto on design.

Tickets are £12 or £10, and the show runs at 11:00 and 14:00 on Sunday 8 November at Pegasus Theatre on Magdalen Road, OX4 1RE.