Jack and the Beanstalk

Greeted warmly by Leanne and Jenny, as well as the rest of the front of house, I took my seat in a near packed house and settled in for what I hoped would be a fun and entertaining evening. I was most definitely not disappointed.

The stage was set with Fairy Hubble Bubble (Holly Ind) on one side and Madame Grimshaw (Emily McSpirit boo hiss...) on the other. The curtains were drawn back revealing a well lit, colourful set with the chorus all smiles and confidence in abundance. Simple and yet very effective coreography here by Abbie Jennings meant that the cast and crew knew what to do and when, there certainly never looked like any missing steps or nervousness here. The costumes were of a very high quality and the wardrobe team of Mandy Harrison and Michelle Palmer must be applauded for the obvious hard work that had gone into them. The set, uncomplicated and uncluttered, but bright colourfull and used to great effect, was well lit and this only enhanced the performance. The sound was clear and the diction precise and quite audible - the Point is always difficult to sound but Pob Wyeth (who also wrote the Panto) is a good match and always does well here. Not a word was missed. The Band, led by Matt Lemon, all knew their cues and were in good tune.

The Principal line up was very strong and was led very well by Rhianna Killick as Jack (you could here every word from Rhianna, clear, unhurried and confident), Adam Rush as Dame Doris Daniels played the dame with enormous aplomb and his/her interaction with not only the cast but the audience was slick, off the cuff and very, very funny. They were ably backed up by Nico Bray and Adam Feltham as the roustabout "Silly Billy" and "Silly Sod" who had the audience going, and The King and Queen and their constant "bickering" played by Josh McDonald and Lizzie Bewley respectively. It's difficult to pick out anyone in particular as everybody played their parts so very, very well.

This was a puntastic panto, delivered in a very professional manner and all the more amazing is the whole thing was put together in just five weeks. Their director Alick Leech, the choreographer Abbie Jennings and Musical Director Matt Lemon are all to be very highly commended. This was as good as any major panto but without the Z list celebrities. It was "Spot On"!

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