Jack and the Beanstalk

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary, Ferryhill Stage Society celebrated this special milestone with a Christmas pantomime “Jack and the Beanstalk” featuring a selection of musical numbers and those all important ingredients that has been enjoyed by audiences for decades, precise timing, sharp comedy, and a traditional story line.  I was attending my first pantomime since becoming a NODA Regional Representative, and I was not disappointed as this was a good family-friendly entertainment with plenty of audience participation, especially from the adults who, on the night I attended, were more vocal than the children.

Director Meg Childs certainly knows how to get the best out of her cast’s talents and strengths, and this was evident in this production. Andrea Robinson, playing Jack Dandelion, gave us a very commanding performance. She performed “Take Me As I Am“ extremely well. She was well supported by Leanne Evans, who played Alice Stoneyheart. Victoria Toras, playing Witch Furosia, and Daniel Steward (Wizard Has been) sparked off each other, and a special well done to Daniel who stepped in at the last moment and gave a good performance.

They say you can judge a pantomime baddy by the amount of hissing and booing he gets, and Geoff- Clifford Brown, as Squire Stoneyheart, certainly received a lot of audience reaction. The comedy was well delivered by David Stothard and Agnes Lynas (Herbert and Humphrey). These two characters were, in my opinion, fantastic. Their one-liners and innuendos were very funny and entertaining, as was Simple Simon played by Ryan Evans. This young man had plenty of stage presence and charisma, as he stamped his infectious personality on the audience, and is certainly someone to be watched in the future.  A brilliant and agile Buttercup the Cow, played by Robert Leigh and Sharon Evans, entertained throughout as did Will Holdsworth, playing Giant Blunderbore. Now a pantomime is not a pantomime without a dame, and Ferryhill Stage Society certainly found a force to be reckoned with in Michael Coulson, playing Dame Dandelion. He  worked well on stage, complemented the rest of the cast, and certainly wound the audience up into hysterics with his innuendos and outrageous costumes. 

This was the first time that the chorus was made up entirely of the society’s junior members. Emily Aitkin, Michael Ball, Shannon Banks, Alexsis Banks, Meg Gibson, Olivia Hall, Summer Laverick, Sadie Morley, Shane Morley and Tegan Walmsley, all aged between 8 an 13 years entered into the world of entertainment with excitement and enthusiasm.  The technical team, led by Terry Storey, played a vital role in enhancing the work of the cast. The costumes were to a high standard, as was the set, which brought colour and life to this well known tale, as did the lighting and special effects. John Childs, as musical director, and the band supported the company onstage and helped deliver some good solo numbers which kept the pace up.

The grand finale of the wedding at Christmas time was a fitting end to a thoroughly enjoyable evening enjoyed by cast and audience alike. A very enjoyable evening. Well done.

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