Jack and the Beanstalk

This was my first visit to you, so I was really excited to see what you guys would deliver.  I always like to be honest when giving reviews and, having directed and performed myself, I always feel that constructive feedback is even more important than positive feedback.  However, I have to say that I was so impressed at your level of professionalism, which was on show from the moment we arrived to the moment we left.  

The script by Matthew Maisey, was very well written and ticked every panto cliche box.  The audience certainly appreciated it and they were in fits of laughter, booing and hissing, from the moment the curtain opened to the second it closed.  The first act was particularly funny and I don't mind admitting that at one stage I was crying with laughter at the running milky pudding gags, I think we can safely say no-one from Glastonbury will ever look at milky pudding in the same way.  

There was a real energy and enthusiasm on display and it was great to see that it ran throughout the entire cast.  It was also fantastic to see so many young performers on the stage, all ably supported by some very talented stalwarts.  Panto is great because you can do what you like with it, including changing lyrics to well known songs.  This led to one of the shows highlights, the rap of Fairy Grapevine and Fleshcreep, this must have taken some work to write but it was not only impressive but worked very well.  The vocal skills throughout the whole cast were strong but Niamh Small, as Princess Violet, really stood out, what an incredible talent!  

Keeping an audience engaged and keeping the story flowing can be a tricky task but Toby Turley, Matt Wilson and Justin Hodge managed the task with ease.  What perfect casting, the three of them worked so well together and Toby Turley managed to maintain a tremendous energy throughout the whole production, I was tired just watching him!  He also showed some great chemistry when partnered with Niamh and the two of them delivered a beautifully sung duet.  Justin, as Dame Deirdre was such a natural actor, he obviously has a real passion for playing a Dame which just shone through in his performance.  He gave so much to his performance and he seemed completely aware of his energy and characterisation, a sign of a real performer.  However, it wasn’t just the boys who stole the show and both the ensemble cast and the dancers were also impressive and how great to see that everyone just oozed confidence. 

However, for a pantomime to be successful you need the surroundings to match the quality of the actors,  Well done to Triple C’s Costumes who were in charge of the costumes Not only were the costumes for this production out of this world, colourful and effective but, there just seemed to be an endless supply of them!  It was just amazing to see that every time anyone came onto the stage they seemed to have a new costume!  I hope the costume department were heaped with praise as they easily excelled in this production, as did the make-up department and the two of them worked so well together to produce an incredibly high standard.  

The lighting was also very effective and had a real impact on the setting and the story.  One of the things some amateur groups struggle with is sound quality, not here though and it is a real treat to be able to see a production where the sound quality was crystal clear.  Well done! 

Overall, this was a real team effort and it was a real treat to see such a vibrant show by such a talented cast.  Thank you, so much, for making my first visit completely worth it and I can’t say how much I am looking forward to visiting you all again in the future.   

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