Jack and the Beanstalk

What better way to liven up a dreary, wet Saturday in January than by going along to Winton Players’ panto – always guaranteed to be filled with fun and laughter. This year it was Jack and the Beanstalk by Ben Crocker. We received a very warm welcome from the friendly front of house people and took our seats with eager anticipation and were not disappointed.

The stage was immediately filled with colour as the cast performed the opening number, not just from their wonderful costumes but from the beautifully painted flats of the simple set. Big praise to the Artful Bodgers – you have some very talented artists in your number. The huge flats were on wheels, designed to be turned to change the scene and it worked well, being handled easily by the efficient stage crew in full view, and colourfully costumed too. The lighting design by Max Burrage (of the Green A Team) enhanced the picture well.

Every panto pits good against evil, and these forces were personified delightfully by Paula Currie as Edena the good Eco Fairy and Phill Humphries as evil Slimeball. Both made the most of their rhyming parts, generating lots of boos and cheers from the audience, and Slimeball being dressed as a gangster worked really well. Hero of the play of course is Jack Trot, played in fine, swash-buckling style by George Pinhorn. He was well-matched by Karla Welch as a very sparky Princess Demelza, duetting nicely together. Joff Lacey is a very experienced Dame and played Jack’s mother well, with an array of gaudy outfits, wigs and make-up, and a nice line in insults for the audience.

John Whitaker made a strong and decisive King Bertram – nothing like the wimps panto normally gives us – with Nikolai Gibbins as his splendid sidekick Trumpet, so full of wit and energy, and a great stage presence. Ben Wade interacted well with the audience as Simple Simon, easily getting us all to shout to cheer him up, and Wayne Pinhorn made a splendid booming Giant Blunderbore. I must give a special mention to Daisy the cow.  Jess Bryant and Chloe Bryant, you gave her such character and not only moved around the stage with ease but tap-danced too! Very impressive.

Winton Players’ pantos would not be the same without their junior members. They brightened every scene they were in – especially the clever Goblins – and performed all the choreography with obvious enjoyment. Too many to mention individually, but I must say how well Liberty Richardson and Scarlett McLeod did as Elfina and Hettie the Hen. Stars in the making there!

The band, under MD Em Sefton-Smith might have been small (only two: on keyboard and percussion) but they made a great sound playing a range of well-known and appropriate songs. On the sound desk, Janet and Simon Auty (of the Green A Team) got the balance between the band and the cast just right - we could hear all the songs and dialogue really clearly.

A panto would be nothing without fabulous costumes, wigs and makeup, and the Wardrobe Wizards, along with Jay Elsey and Laura Shepherd on Hair and Wigs (Green A Team again) and Mandy Goodridge (Make-up) did a superb job of making everyone look splendid.

The colourful programme was full of good cast photos and a very interesting piece on the history of the story. Looking at the massive list in the programme of people involved behind the scenes really brings it home to you just how many unsung heroes are needed to bring a show to the stage. Well done every single one of you! I must also commend the young lady selling programmes in the foyer – she had such confidence and explained very clearly how to enter the competition. A great asset to the company.

Director Sarah Whitaker, you must be really delighted with your cast and production team – they did you proud. It was a great show that we emerged from happily humming the catchy tunes and with our spirits lifted.

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