Pantomime returns to the island next month with the Bermuda Musical & Dramatic Society's production of the familiar children's tale, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Devaune Ratteray stars in the title role of Jack Durden, a young man who takes on the "terrifying challenge of climbing the magic beanstalk" to rid his town, Daffydown Dilly, of the greedy giant, Blunderbore.

As is the BMDS tradition, the production is an amusing take on an old favourite and Mr. Ratteray is certain this version of the tale will please audiences.

"The cast is great," he enthused. "The cast changes year after year and, whenever I've done it, each year I'm surprised by the talent. There are people that have been in pantos that I've been in before but I'm always surprised when I see a new face and how they're holding up ¿ they're all really, really good.

"Kelvin Hastings-Smith is playing the dame again ¿ which I'm excited about. Jo Shane, the director, is really, really great. We started (practising) a little later than we normally do this year but it's really coming together. (This week) was the first time we ran it all the way through and the show looks really good. I'm excited to do it."

Jack and the Beanstalk was written by John Crocker; its music and lyrics created by Eric Gilder. The BMDS production boasts Lisa Maule as its musical director, Mr. Ratteray as its choreographer and features musical arrangements by Julio Cesar Jimenez Ortiz. Producers for the show are Jenn Osmond, Naomi Little and Janice Duffy.

"You can be assured of all the hare-brained hilarity you have come to expect from a BMDS panto," said a spokesperson for the show. "This year we find ourselves in the delightful town of Daffydown Dilly, where the local residents are being plagued by the greedy giant Blunderbore. Leave it to the most unlikely candidate, namely young Jack Durden, to take on the terrifying challenge of climbing the magic beanstalk to rid the town of this gigantic menace.

"This year Kelvin Hastings-Smith is back in the role of the dame, Dame Dottie to be precise, accompanied by her delightful, if wilful side-kick in the shape of Daisy the Cow. Giants, demons, magic beans and golden hens all play their part, but you can be assured that at the end of the day there will be a wedding ¿ Jack will always get his girl ¿ and all will live happily ever after, 'til next year."

The production is a natural fit for Mr. Ratteray. Involved in theatrical productions most of his life, he decided to tackle a career in the performing arts while in high school.

"I've been onstage all my life but it wasn't until later on, in high school, that I got a love for the arts and it became more like, 'This is something I would want to do as a living'." he explained.

"But really, theatre was not something I was pushed into. It was something I found by myself. If there were someone ¿ a teacher ¿ who helped me along the way, I would have to say Shangri-la Durham-Thompson. She was the one that was like, 'You know what? You could probably do this.' And I said, 'Okay'."

A degree in theatre at the University of Las Vegas followed and, in the two years since he graduated, the thespian has been honing his skills here and abroad, while pursuing an international career.

"Basically, I'm just backwards and forwards, working (where I can)," he said. "It's a little rough but it's a process, I understand that. My first time with BMDS was ¿ oh wow ¿ in '97. This will be my fourth time performing (with them).

"Abroad, I've been all over ¿ Las Vegas, California, Germany ¿ doing theatre, doing dance."

The difficulty in getting hired to work in the United States is no less than he anticipated, Mr. Ratteray stated.

"Because I'm not an American, the difficulty is just being able to work. There's more steps that I have to take. It's harder for me than it is (for American citizens) ¿ I have to get visas, I have to get work permits. But that's my only struggle and I'm up for that challenge. If that's what I have to do for my career, I will do it."

Theatre is his first love, preferred over television and film, he admitted.

"I have considered film. I've done short films and so on especially when I was in college. If it were to come I'd be the first to ask, 'Where do I sign?' But my first love is theatre. What I like about theatre that film doesn't have is that if I do it right once, in film, then it's cut and print.

"But when you do a show, when you're in a theatre production, that show is different every night. You're always experiencing new things, you're always learning new things. The audience will take to a show differently each night. I've never done a show where I can say, 'Oh, this is just like last night', or 'This is just like last week'. And that's what I like about it."

According to Mr. Ratteray, pantomimes are great training grounds for actors ¿ something many people fail to recognise.

"Some people may say it's just a panto, but in my experience ¿ and I'm sure anyone else who does theatre would agree ¿ it's actually more difficult to do a panto than it is to do anything else.

"I didn't learn that until I went abroad and started doing classical pieces and dramas and comedies and musicals and so on. It was a lot easier for me to do those shows.

"The panto changes ¿ you always have people shouting back at you, which is good training in itself. If something happens and you don't break character, if something happens and you know how to cover it. Because you can't laugh, you can't stop the flow of the show no matter what happens. So I think in that aspect I've had a lot of training."

Similarly, portraying Jack ¿ a well-known character ¿ also presented challenges.

"Jack is the hero. I have played the hero a few times in pantos and there is an expectation, a sort of ¿ okay, this is what the hero is like. It's different from when you do a show where the audience comes to discover the character. But what I find fun is finding different ways to portray that hero. Everybody knows Jack. Everybody knows the story. I have to find that likeability."

Jack and the Beanstalk runs Wednesday, December 5 through Saturday, December 15 at the City Hall Theatre at 7.30 p.m. Matinee performances will be held December 8,9 and 15, at 3 p.m. Tickets, $28, are available weekdays at the box office at Daylesford through December 4, between 5.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Telephone bookings may be made during that time, on 292-0848. Tickets will be available at the City Hall box office between December 5 and 15, one hour before curtain time. Telephone bookings may also be made at that time, on 292-2313. Tickets may also be purchased online, at www.bmds.bm.