Jack and the Beanstalk

This production of Jack and the Beanstalk was written and directed in house by Mike Allen. It is nice to see many of the traditions of pantomime being maintained such as a female principal boy or two, a fight between good and evil, lots of audience participation and no less than three pantomime dames!

The chorus were small but made up for it in enthusiasm. There were laughs supplied by many of the characters especially the Queens guards Dreadful (Christopher Allen-Mason) and Worse (Hayden Harvey) and all of the dames, Steve Bradnam, Max Goode and Kevin Bright.  Michelle Goode was the thigh slapping Jack who had some great songs including the self composed duet with Carly Tremaynes Princess Charlotte. Special mention has to go the Daisy the tap dancing cow, quite an achievement in a pantomime cow costume.

One of the biggest challenges faced in this story is how to make a beanstalk grow. Rugby Theatre used an effective mix of video projection and flying cloth. The giant was well proportioned and appeared on stage rather than being a voice in the wings, this worked well.

Overall this was a traditional family pantomime produced by a strong company both on and off stage.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.