Jack and Beanstalk
Information
- Date
- 10th January 2025
- Society
- Theatrecraft
- Venue
- Kings Hall, Hearne Bay
- Type of Production
- Pantomime
- Director
- Luke Richardson
- Musical Director
- Jacueline Francis
- Choreographer
- Courtney Jones,
- Written By
- Cheryl Marksford
Outside the theatre it was so dark and cold - pavements white with frost and breath hung in the air - so I was glad to have arrived at the Theatre without slipping over - the warm air that greeted us was a true relief. The next wave was the chattering and laughter of children! My goodness – there were brownies, boy scouts and guides, along with families of all the generations out for the evening. We were in for a really special ‘Panto’ experience!
For Director Luke Richardson, this was his first show with Theatrecraft – and I’m sure it will not be his last. His cast served him well with excellent characterisations and everyone performed with enthusiasm. They were a real team, word perfect, seemingly relaxed and enjoying engaging in the banter with the audience. Oh yes they did….. Musical Director Jacqueline Francis and her musicians got us off to a roaring start and the cast quickly settled us down to a fun-filled romp.
Written by Theatrecraft’s own Cheryl Marksford, this production had everything and was performed at an excellent pace. Cheryl also played the transformed ‘human version’ of Daisy the cow. It’s an understatement to say she was multi-talented - and clearly a great team player. I also thought the accent was fab. Courtney Jones, choreographer, had honed both the non-dancing cast members and the ‘sparkling’ dancer ‘troop’ to perfection. Set design and Workshop Manager, Tim Short’s team designed and produced colourful and detailed sets for the show. He and his team produced a great beanstalk, a colourful village and Giant’s ‘abode’. Sound Design and Operation managed by Damon Oldacre was impressive –the usual sound issues that are familiar at this venue, but this hall does have an accoustic problem which is no fault of the society. Costumes organised by Linda McCann were spot on, although I thought there must be a good reason why Dani Selmes (who was a good match for Jack) playing Jack’s sweetheart so nicely, wasn’t ’dressed in brighter colours for the jubilant closing scene.
Now to the talented cast: Jack Trott played by Conor White was particularly strong - a very convincing leading man and very bendy with his acrabatics and a nice voice too. Dani Selmes as Jill Waysland was a convincing partner for Jack. Her father Baron Waysland – Matt Clayton – fitted the panto brief to a ’T’. I’m not sure if we saw Estelle Short or Ruth Oliver in the flesh as they played respective ends of Daisy the Cow – but they never put a foot wrong. Dame Trott (Joe Morgan) and Luke Humphries as Fairy Dizzy gave us good campish roles - well done you two. My namesake Gordon played by (Ryan Jones) was a very camp Gordon indeed - great acting there Ryan I feel sure.
In fact every one of this company's players were on point. One more player to mention by name was Jeff Barker - Spinog - this actor has funny bones! And finally I must add that the phantom fire that set off the hall's alarms, resulting in a full evacuation of the hall, was well executed - very efficient!
A massive ‘Well done’ to Theatrecraft. Eggcellent!!
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