Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe will return to wreak panto-monium at the Hackney Empire this Christmas as he’s set to star alongside Debbie Kurup in the venue’s always eagerly anticipated festive family offering Jack And The Beanstalk.
Rowe will take on dame duties as Daisy Trott having previously played the same role in Hackney Empire’s 2010 production of the magic bean-brimming tale. The acclaimed actor returns to the venue following 2014’s Mother Goose, when he reprised his 2009 Olivier Award nominated performance in the eponymous role.
The Bodyguard’s Kurup, who is also a former Olivier Award nominee, will join Rowe in the caper-crammed production from 21 November to 3 January, taking on the role of the beanstalk-climbing title character.
They are joined by presenter Kat B, who brings an ice cold presence to proceedings in the role of the Snowman, having previously appeared alongside Rowe in 2014’s Mother Goose.
Hackney Empire’s 2015 festive frolic will once again be written by the venue’s Artistic Director Susie McKenna, who has been delighting audiences for more than 15 years with her much-loved Christmas offerings.
Promising a breakdancing cow, bonkers baddies, the scariest giant ever, buckets of silliness and, of course – no Hackney panto would be complete without it – tons of audience participation, Jack And The Beanstalk will follow two stories, one of the young and earnest Jack and the other of a ginormous giant.
Set in the kingdom of Hackneydale, where austerity cuts are taking their toll, Jack is tempted into swapping his family’s trusty cow for a handful of magic beans by a mysterious stranger, while the giant’s inventions for making gold are destroying the Earth.
Audiences will have to wait until 21 November to see the song-packed tale in all its glory, but in the meantime you can see what’s been happening in east London prior to the production’s run in the trailer above.