Jack and the Beanstalk

This village society has taken the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and imagined the sequel: Jack and his Mum, Mamma Bean, have used the riches that Jack acquired from the Giant’s Castle in the Clouds, to open a very successful restaurant where they make omelettes from the eggs laid by the Golden Goose. The wicked witch Balthazar, along with her young apprentice, steals the magic harp to return it to the giant. Without the harp, the goose stops laying her incredible golden eggs, and Jack must venture into the skies again to regain the harp – a new twist on an old tale, with an original script written by a former society member, Joe Lynch. I have to say that the story worked very well.

Trusthorpe has a very nice, modernised village hall with a small but adequate stage, and it has recently been refurbished with new LED stage lighting which was used to good effect. It was packed with a full house on the night I attended, and the audience (which included a large number of Cubs) was hugely appreciative of the colourful show with plenty of local in-jokes.

I was astonished to learn that this is the 74th Pantomime that this venerable group has performed  - that must be approaching some sort of record, especially when the dark years of the second world war and the pandemic are taken into account. I was pleased to meet Bernard and Pauline Dobbs who were on the door – this was the 70th year that Pauline has been involved, either as a performer or in some other capacity, having first appeared on the Trusthorpe stage at the age of 12!  Well done Pauline!

The average age of the cast was low, with the oldest member Rob Ives (playing Mamma Bean as a very saucy Dame) being in his twenties. Other principal cast members were in their teens, but that didn’t stop them from putting in some great performances. Jack was played by Imogen Newman as a no-nonsense, practical lad, only late in the proceedings realizing that Jill, played sweetly by Jade Manning, was the love of his life.

Maisie and Daisie (on the night I saw Jordanne Sleap and Adele Pratt) were Jill’s friends, Maisie and Daisie, and stepped out of the story between scenes to act as very expressive raconteurs and keep the story moving along. Caitlin Francis and Summer Pickford provided comic relief as the brothers Smart and Simple, and the Squire who hoped to marry Mamma Bean (mainly for her money) was played solidly by Isaac Bailey.

Izzy Wyer played the evil Balthazar well, and Sydney Hales played the goose, the ghost, the Giant, and Tiny Tim – obviously a busy girl!!

Young Tyler Scarlett played the witch’s apprentice. He is obviously a talented boy, and managed to wow the audience with his meaningful glances and his dance moves – a boy to watch in future years, I suspect.

The chorus of customers and villagers was played by a large group of local children who danced and posed their way through the varied scenes, playing everything from local peasants to ghosts – well done!

The set was colourful and well-painted, and costumes too had all been made by society members.  Particularly noticeable were Mamma Bean’s main costume, with fried eggs prominently in place over her generous bosom, and the bright cheerful costumes of Smart and Simple. All the other costumes were good.  Make-up was appropriate for a pantomime, though it is a mystery how Mamma  Bean managed to open her eyes with the biggest set of false eyelashes I have ever seen!

The lighting was excellent. The new LED lighting system was put to effective use without going over the top. The sound quality was also excellent, though on the night I attended there was a slip-up with one of the cues.

To produce and direct a village panto like this must be a labour of love, and Christopher Pratt is to be commended on everything that he has achieved with the limited facilities at his disposal. Thank you to all involved, and for the coffee and chocolate bourbon in the interval!!

 

 

 

 

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