Jack and the Incredible Beanstalk

Fresh from their many NODA wins at the recent District 8 awards, Kingsley Players started their 2020 season with their Pantomime Jack and the Incredible Beanstalk.  Director Jo Oultram and her team have created a funny piece of theatre that was thoroughly enjoyed by the supportive audience.  Kingsley Players wrote their own script, designed their own set and wrote their own original songs for this production and their hard work and dedication was apparent to see in this production.  The script was very funny and gave each of the characters their own chance to shine in the spotlight; whilst containing a thousand jokes about eggs!  At times, the scenes were a little too long and too repetitive which impacted slightly on the pace but overall, the script was funny, the storyline was clear, and the audience were entertained throughout.  The set was fantastic!  A purpose-built set that was movable and containing a projected image onto the back wall was used well throughout and enabled the use of various locations without taking up too much time for scene changes.  The beanstalk itself was effective and looked like a character in its own right.  A special mention has to go to Ann Crawford for the set and her vision.  The original songs were fantastic also.  They were catchy, enhanced character and provided a good showcase for the many characters throughout this production.  The song ‘Moving On’ was a beautiful ballad and the song ‘A policeman knows a better way’ was funny and provided comedic relief.  The pace, at times, was a little slow in places and there were some anomalies as to entrances and exits for different locations such as the next-door neighbour’s house but overall this was a good first innings from first time director Jo Outram.  

As I mentioned above, the songs were fantastic and it’s unbelievable that this pantomime contained so much originality.  My favourite numbers were ‘Moving On’, ‘Co-operation’ and ‘A Policeman Knows a better way’.  The choreography was a little basic and repetitive for me.  Every dance was in unison and there didn’t seem to be much creativity; saying that, the dancers were very well rehearsed.

The star of the show for me was Sue Elliot as Jack and Jill’s mother.  Sue had energy, commitment to character, great storytelling, great use of voice and brilliant comic timing.  She was very well cast and very entertaining to watch!

Jack (Matthew Betterridge) and Jill (Emma Bradley) were a nice support act.  Matthew sang beautifully during ‘Moving On’ and was entertaining to watch.  Jack’s love interest (Sally) was played by Teigan Withey.  They both had some lovely moments in the script and Teigan looked like she was having the time of her life onstage.

Grizelda (JoJo Gleave) showed some promise as the baddie and she used her voice well to convey character and in song, but she really dropped the pace and took an age to say her lines which jarred with the style of the piece.  The comedy duo (Bert and Bernie) were played by Simon Hetherington and David Snow.  Both were funny and did well in their scenes but for me, David Snow was the more naturalistic and the more captivating.  He displayed some great one liners too.  The other comedy character was that of PC Plod played by the brilliant Guy Pearson.  Guy’s energy and commitment on stage was excellent and he was thoroughly entertaining.  He performed with 100% commitment and worked very hard – the audience loved him!

Joe Youds and Roy Youds played the next-door neighbours Florrie and Dotty and provided more light entertainment as the Dame like characters.  Both had good ad-libs and were entertaining to watch.  I would’ve loved to have seen more of them.

All other parts were played by the cast and ensemble.   Each had their own part to play and each told the story well.  This was a fun panto and a fun night at the theatre.  This society are very much the heart of the community and they were well supported by their audience.  It’s clear that there is a lot of love and passion for the theatre here, which is evident to see in the many awards that they have been nominated for and won.  I commend them for their efforts in this panto.  Writing fifteen original tracks, building their own set, making their own costumes and writing their own script is no mean feat but Kingsley Players did this and did it well.  I thank them for their kind hospitality and wish them all the best for their upcoming productions of Alan Ayckbourn’s How the Other Half Loves, and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

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