The beloved fairy tale of Jack and his magic beans is given a humorous twist. In true panto style, there are goodies and baddies, hissing and booing, outrageous costumes and visu-al jokes galore. Our hero Jack must overcome the evil Baron, in thrall to Wilma the Wicked Witch, and the fearsome Giant, but he is aided by his mother the gloriously camp Dame, a ra-ther bumbling fairy, lovely Pippa Perky, and sidekick Simon, together with a host of Villagers and small “animals”, not forgetting Ermintrude the Cow! There will be topical and local refer-ences, catchy show tunes and terrific dance numbers to entertain the audiences. And audience participation is most definitely encouraged! What better way to kick off the Christmas sea-son?

As always, we would love to hear from you if you are interested in joining The Algarveans. We’re always happy to welcome new members to help us on stage or backstage. Many hands make light work and we always have a lot of fun. Please see our website for more details thealgarveans.com.

Jack and the Beanstalk is playing at the Carlos do Carmo Auditorium in Lagoa on 24, 25 and 26 November at 7:45 with a matinée on Sunday 27 November at 2 pm.Tickets priced at €12 can be bought online at www.bol.pt or in person at Auditório Carlos do Carmo, Convento de S. José in Lagoa and at Município de Lagoa - Balcão Único. Also available at all Worten and FNAC outlets.