Jack and The Beanstalk

A great pantomime. Reality touched us with the villagers facing hardship when the bully Giant increased taxes. In the role of Fleshcreep - what a wonderful name - Daniel Baillie with deep patrician tones was the unrelenting tormentor of the King and his villagers. Trying to keep the peace, John Coe as King Rollo was a conciliator but even so too nice to combat Fleshcreep.. His daughter Princess Jill had more fire. In her first leading role Jennifer Brisbane revealed a gentle steeliness and showed a fine voice in her lovely duet with her husband to be Jack. Leading man Claire Coyne portrayed Jack in suitably swashbuckling style, rebelling from the beginning at the unjust impositions of Fleshcreep. Assisting with her fairy magic was Dale Henry as Floral Fairy who had her own fun with her forgetfulness over names. Central to humour of the show were Derek D Easton as Dame Trot and Stewart Borthwick as his chief farmhand. With ease they established immediate rapport with the audience delivering jokes thick and fast, with some subtle and topical references. Their scene in the inflatable pig costumes brought the house down. Dame Trot’s costumes, with sparkly shoes or kinky boots, and wigs were outrageous.  Humour continued with the likeable duo Andrew Gibson and Kirsten McConnachie, who as Guards 1 and 2 supposed to protect the princess, failed through their own amusing ineptitude. Mention must be made of Daisy the Cow and her wonderful co-ordination of movement. Yolande Borthwick and Jo Malik had us loving Daisy especially when she refused to be milked. But the show was not all about the principals. With notes true and words absolutely clear, The Villagers did themselves proud. They moved with precision and as one and were a real strength in consolidating the liveliness of the show. The fluorescent scene worked well resonating with the youngsters, and impressive was the video wall which changed the scenes slickly, depicted the street scenes vividly and created instant magic of the Beanstalk. This was a show for everyone - pure entertainment.                                                                                         

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