Jack and the Beanstalk

This was my first visit to this fairly young society and I have to say this embodies all that is best about village pantomimes. It was hugely enjoyable and I would go as far as to say it was the funniest panto I saw this season.

The script was well constructed and designed to suit the constraints of space and the varied abilities available. 

This was another pantomime the used backing tracks instead of live musicians (presumably a necessary financial consideration) but this worked well. There was none of the hesitancy associated with this (waiting for tracks to start etc) and the cast rendered the musical numbers very well.

James directed and starred in this production and he had ensured that despite the playing area being very small, cast used the space well. The show did not feel like it had been shoe horned in.There was strong and clear direction and each cast member portrayed a varied selection of highly entertaining characters. What they did well was ensure that if anything did go wrong, it was embraced as part of the show. The prompt was evident occasionally, but once again the cast embraced this in character so actually it didn’t feel as if anything had gone amiss.

Dame Trott was an excellent core to the show. Dominating the stage, and throwing out entertaining asides to the audience. Clover the Cow was a stand up cow, and despite no dialogue at all, made a very large mark on the production. These two were ably supported by a lively Jack (played traditionally) and Simple Simon who both gave strong performances. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Poison Ivy and that of Fairy SweetPea, each well thought through. There was a very lively and vivacious Princess Daisy who provided the love interest. All of these were supported by the varied characters of The King, The Prime Minister and Giant Guzzleguts, who all contributed varied talents and well thought through characters. 

A feature of this production was the contribution of the young cast. Backstage space constraints meant these cast members sat at the back of the auditorium when not on stage. Lead by a lovely performance by the Young Princess, this team of children were well drilled and their numbers were nicely performed. They contributed much to the production and I was impressed with their professionalism. 

Scenery was well designed to suit the tiny stage and costumes, especially the Dames costumes, were colourful and had that professional finish to add to the good look of the show. 

This production was a true team and village effort and was far better than some much larger pantomimes I have seen. The entire evening was greatly enjoyed by the packed house and I can easily see how this pantomime has quickly found its space in the local theatre scene.

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