Jack and the Beanstalk

Audlem Theatre Company started their year off with a bang with their annual pantomime. This year’s offering was ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, written and directed by Laurence Shillito. This was a very enjoyable and entertaining pantomime from start to finish. It was wonderful to see a cast of mixed ages, with younger people taking on prominent roles. The set worked extremely well on the small stage, and it proved to be a very clever set taking the audience to different locations. The Giant’s castle looked particularly impressive. Set changes were generally good throughout, although a little noisy at times. Comedy was definitely at the forefront in Laurence’s script and direction, and had the audience laughing constantly. The pace throughout was good. There were a few moments where it slowed due to delayed entrances or a set change taking longer than anticipated. The initial idea of having the beanstalk grow was clever; however it did not work at this performance. The quick thinking of the stage crew created a memorable moment in keeping with pantomime and made it work fantastically. It added to the overall comedy, and the cast and crew must be applauded for the way they handled it and rolled with the mishap in the most pantomime way. This was a joyful pantomime that was full of community and laughter.

The musical director was not named in the programme! The songs used were varied, which piqued the audience’s interest. The cast performed to backing tracks and did very well with this. The vocals were fine throughout, with some lovely vocal moments.

Crissy Wylie was the choreographer for this production. The choreography was kept simple throughout, and was used to great effect on the small stage.

Technical elements were generally good throughout. The sound balance between the cast and backing tracks was good. There were a few moments where cast mics did not come on, particularly in ‘Superstitious’, which opened Act Two. This was a real shame as the number looked particularly strong, with the use of UV. The lighting used was good throughout the pantomime.

The costumes were a pleasing element of the pantomime. The dame’s costumes were fantastic and suitably over-the-top. Credit here to Joy McAuley for creating a number of the costumes for the dame. The costumes for the Giant’s Minions looked great – very gargoyle like. The styling of Daisy was suitably crazy and worked very well.

It was hard to believe that this was Steve Leonard’s pantomime dame debut (and pantomime debut!). He instantly had the audience in the palm of his hand. Steve worked extremely well with the rest of the cast, and was totally at ease in this demanding role. His vocals were good throughout. His sense of comedy was strong, with some perfectly timed adlibs. Steve had a magnetic stage presence. Audlem Theatre Company have found themselves a fantastic dame in Steve Leonard!

Emma Morris played Jill. Emma proved to be a reliable member of the cast, putting in a sterling performance. Emma’s vocals were strong, and she worked extremely well with the rest of the cast, especially Tom.

Tom Bottomley gave a pleasing performance as the down on his luck Jack. There were lots of great comic moments in Tom’s performance, which he showcased in his songs too. Tom was certainly able to get the audience on his side.

Stuart Furber played King Cognito. Stuart did well in this role, and had a nice dynamic with the rest of the cast. He has certainly become a pantomime favourite at Audlem!

Isla Rowe impressed as Daisy, narrating the show in rhyme, and being a silent character in scenes. This was a pleasing performance from this young performer, with some great moments of physical humour in her performance.

Imogen Elliot and Rose Shaw-Adams proved to be a great comic pairing as Ewan and Hymn. They worked very well together as the hapless guards. They had a great confidence and worked the audience very well, considering their young age.

Jackson Hodgkins was fantastic as Kevin. He totally embodied the character, using his physicality and voice to portray the Giant’s head minion. Jackson showed a solid understanding of his character type, delivering his lines with aplomb. This was a very strong performance from Jackson.

Lee Bottomley stole the show as Barry. He was absolutely hilarious with his mannerisms and his line delivery. Lee made a great impact in this delightful cameo role.

Severn Leonard and Maisie Baker did very well as Ghastly and Beastly. Another pairing that worked very well in this pantomime. They understood their roles and worked well to deliver their characters.

Fabio Avemaria makes his pantomime debut as the Giant. He certainly has the presence for this intimidating character, but needed to add some variance to line delivery to really get the character across.

Other characters were played by the ensemble. They all appeared confident in what they were doing and delivered some highly entertaining performances. Nessa Furber was very expressive as Kenneth Francis Chicken, and worked the audience well. Arthur Hughes and Thea Waddington gave delightful cameo performances as Young Jack and Young Jill, adding to the comedy of the pantomime.

Overall, this was a very good production. The comic moments were hilarious, there were great moments of staging, and there were entertaining performances.

A big thank you to everyone at Audlem Theatre Company for their kind invite and hospitality.

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