For Roanoke Children’s Theatre, one new way of doing things has been to mount outdoor performances of its current show, “Jack and the Wonder Beans” — a charming hourlong Appalachian-themed telling of the familiar fairy tale, that will have grown-ups smiling as much as the little ones.

An afternoon rainstorm made way for a mercifully mild summer evening Friday for a production that took place on Second Street in front of Greene Memorial United Methodist Church. Audience members needed to bring their own lawn chairs, and several dozen did just that, spreading out along the sidewalk and the church porch. (COVID-related precautions, such as requiring masks, were also implemented.)

After a brief delay to let the church chimes complete their 7 p.m. cycle, the show got underway with a lively opening dance number by the company. Although the show was not a musical per se, traditional folk music was a unifying element throughout. With a lovely voice and engaging energy, Shelby Mason was a delight as the Storyteller, who drove the unfolding plot and even encouraged some audience participation — a roving troubadour-narrator playing her own stringed instruments as she went.