Jack and the Beanstalk

With a script written by the Directors - with assistance from other members of the company – from the start this show was full of local references and corny panto jokes. It was also replete with delightful songs and beautiful dances delivered by the principals and talented ensemble alike. Lewis Moggach was in his element as the larger than life Dame Trott, owner of the local dairy, with a costume change at every entrance each more extravagant than the one before! His/her powerful voice and dance moves were shown to their best in his rendition of the rock number “Proud Mary” with his backing dancers. Mallory Black as her son Silly Simon was both decidedly stupid and cheeky in equal measure adding much to the hilarity of the piece. Sarah Tassell as Jack Trott, in her first panto role with the company, made an excellent principal boy with a good stage presence and strong singing voice – the love duet “And That’s The Way It Is” with Princess Jill was a delight. Kirsten Rennie in the role of Princess Jill was another strong character and her beautiful voice was given full rein in her rendition of “Secret Love Song” in the Giant’s Kitchen scene where she was being held captive. The addition of a gracefully performed pas de deux during this song added to the poignancy. Neil Bell-Forsyth as the Giant’s henchman Fleshcreep exploited the character’s evilness to the full eliciting boos and hisses at his every entrance and exit. Strong support was given by June Cranna and Selena Govier as Fairy Evergreen and Fairy Willow respectively and James Watt as the diminutive King Edward. Mention too must be made of the delightful Pat the Cow!

The 11 piece orchestra under the guidance of Hugh Johnstone supported but never overpowered the cast throughout. The scenery was simple and bright as required in panto and the costumes – especially in the sparkling finale “Dancing in the Street” added much to the spectacle. Well done everyone in Aurora Productions for an entertaining evening thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

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