Review: Jack and the Beanstalk A New Moooosical at Dundee Rep Theatre - the potential to become a new, modern fairy-tale
- Lisa in the theatre
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Dundee Rep Theatre are staging a new family-friendly musical fairytale this Christmas season with a spirited highland cow in the lead role. Read my review of Jack and the Beanstalk A New Moooosical below.
Jack and the Beanstalk A New Moooosical ★★★☆☆
Review: 6 December 2025 | Dundee Rep Theatre
Writers Jonathan O’Neill and Isaac Savage have refreshed the popular Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale, and have transformed it into a panto-inspired musical theatre show. Their fresh twist on the classic story of 'boy versus giant' for Dundee Rep theatre this Christmas also places a delightful and determined highland cow at the centre of the action.
For Jack and the Beanstalk: A New Moooosical sees the titular Jack (the brilliant Ronan O'Hara) take a bit of a backseat as our adventure is narrated by Caroline the highland cow (the wonderful Suzie McAdam.) Caroline leads us through the famous tale from her perspective, explaining how she came to live with the Trott family, and how her sweet milk was used to make 'Glen and Sherry's ice cream' - a business which kept the family afloat for many years.
True to the original fairytale plot, the Trott family fall on hard times and are forced to sell Caroline the cow, which Jack does in exchange for a bag of beans. But this is where the core story diverges in an imaginative tangent and we follow, not Jack, but Caroline who - oh the horror! - has ended up at 'Happy Smiles Petting Zoo' where lots of sticky fingered children get to reach out their hands and touch her (cue a genius Neil Diamond song reference!)
The Great Escape - with petting zoo animals
In a perceptive move for a festive production aimed at families, the animals of the petting zoo thus become central characters in the narrative. The fabulous trio of Hen the hen (Lucy Hutchison), Truffles the pig (Mairi Barclay) and Fluffy the llama (Lorraine Graham) soon befriend Caroline, and the group conspire to help resilient Caroline get back home to her family.
(In the meantime her family have since come into money and have swanned off on holiday being really rather horrible people and have seemingly forgotten about Caroline, who they once considered part of their family. It's a wild deviation in character, especially for Jack, and makes us wonder if he really deserves to have Caroline back.)
The best scene in the show is when the group of petting zoo animals try to forge an escape from their pens. Making great use of Neve Pearce's magnificent puppets, we are treated to a scene like something out of The Great Escape or Mission Impossible where miniature versions of the gang scale walls and even parachute down the stage. It's uproariously entertaining and so skillfully done.
Modern, bright, colourful and eye-catching; the production values are impressive
Puppets are used well but sparingly throughout the show, with a baby Caroline the cow and young Jack puppets especially adorable, but used all too briefly at the start of the tale. Another inspired choice is to have the golden harp come to life. Harper the harp, played with glee by David Rankine, enriches the tale in act two.
A constant highlight of Dundee Rep's Christmas show this year is the gorgeous design by Kenneth MacLeod. The staging is modern and bright; the costumes colourful and eye-catching. The production values and presentation for this new musical are impressively slick and polished.
More could've been made of the beanstalk, which like Jack, has taken a bit of a backseat and which we only see partially. [Spoiler] Moreover, we don't see the giant at all; though the booming voice of adored Dundee Rep patron Brian Cox does ring out from the back of the auditorium at times. These key elements of the original story, which normally loom so large over small children in the audience, have been sidelined so as to completely lose their impact and intimidation.
Perhaps a name change for this show is in order? I am all for swapping out some of the old plot for a fresh take, with new characters and a fun storyline about a resilient highland cow, but at what point is that story no longer 'Jack and the Beanstalk?' A new title, said to have been 'inspired' by the original world and characters may be a safer bet.
Potential to become a new, modern fairytale that would work in theatres across the country at any time of year
As it stands, this Jack and the Beanstalk is a musical, and the original folk-led songs, played live onstage by the actor-musicians, are very lovely. But other than standout number 'Udderly Alone' they do all sound similar. There are a few too many ballads for the child-heavy audience, and no matter how beautiful they may be and how powerfully they are performed by the excellent cast, the restless youngsters are crying out for more upbeat pop music.
Dundee Rep are on to an absolute winner with this show. With its first-rate design (even the posters are gorgeous!) and ambitious story about the importance of friends and family, it really does have the potential to become a new, modern fairytale that would work in theatres across the country at any time of year. The clever writing from O'Neil and Savage introduces us to inventive storylines and unforgettable characters. Caroline the highland cow is such a warm, fabulous creation; I hope this isn't the last we see of her and her friends. ★★★☆☆
Jack and the Beanstalk A New Moooosical plays at Dundee Rep Theatre until 30 December 2025.
MORE: Read the Dundee Rep Christmas Moooosical cast announcement here: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/post/dundee-rep-jack-and-the-beanstalk-cast
MORE: Find more Scottish Christmas shows and panto news and reviews at: https://www.lisainthetheatre.com/panto
