Jacked!

Jacked!
By Idris Goodwin
with soundtrack by Jackie “Jackpot” Sharp
Jan 21 thru May 31, 2021 (virtual performances)

It’s Jack and the Beanstalk with a modern-day twist. In this reimagined world, Jack and his mother struggle to live happily ever after. When his farm can’t feed him, his community can’t support him, and his mother can’t take care of him, Jack takes matters into his own hands. After climbing the beanstalk and stealing the giant’s goose, Jack flees home and discovers the goose’s golden eggs have a mysterious, intoxicating power that turns his world upside down. How can something so good make everything bad? Can Jack turn things around to save his village?

Directed by Jamie McKittrick, Jacked! fuses storytelling and poetry with nonstop hip-hop and break-beat music by Jackie “Jackpot” Sharp in this fresh, energetic virtual production that uses hand-drawn animation based on visuals by artist Nick Kryah. Jacked! explores the imaginative boundaries of theater, film, and animation and inside the story and the music is an age-appropriate message for children about substance abuse and its effects on our communities.

The cast includes St. Louis hip hop duo The Knuckles and MTC favorite Jarris L. Williams (last seen playing the title role in Ghost).

Jacked! was originally commissioned by Cleveland Play House and developed as part of Cleveland Play House’s Classroom Matinee Touring Program with a soundtrack by Rhythm Science Sound.

For ages 5 to 11. The performance is approximately 40 minutes with no intermission.