Jacked! A Beanstalk Remix

Jacked! A Beanstalk Remix at Coterie Theatre

Jack climbs the beanstalk chasing survival, not adventure, and what he finds at the top comes with a price his village isn't ready to pay. Jacked! A Beanstalk Remix at Coterie Theatre turns a childhood favorite into something urgent and immediate, replacing wish-fulfillment with choices that matter.

Playwright Idris Goodwin reimagines the tale through hip-hop and spoken-word poetry, using rhythm and breakbeats to propel the story forward. The language pulses with energy while keeping the focus squarely on Jack's struggle: his farm cannot feed him, his mother can't support him, and desperation drives him up that stalk. When he steals the giant's goose, those famous golden eggs seem like the miracle his starving village needs. But the eggs carry an intoxicating power that spreads like wildfire, turning salvation into something darker.

This is fairy-tale structure wrapped around substance abuse and the opioid crisis, making the familiar feel newly dangerous. The goose's gift doesn't stay golden—it becomes a curse Jack brought home himself. Hunger versus addiction, hope versus ruin: the story asks what happens when the thing that rescues you also destroys you.

At sixty minutes and recommended for ages ten and up, the production gives Kansas City audiences a chance to see a classic story refracted through contemporary struggle without losing its mythic power.

Grab tickets for Jacked! A Beanstalk Remix at the Coterie.