JACK & THE BEANSTALK

This fun-filled family pantomime had all the elements of a traditional panto from start to finish.  In this version of the well known fairy tale Jack goes off to seek money to pay his mothers debts, and encounters not one villain but three – in the form of the nasty squire, the evil witch and of course the giant!

Jack and the Beanstalk, written by Philip Smith and David Knights, was full of panto tradition from the moment the curtains opened.

The main character in this whole panto is, of course, Jack – expertly played by Emma-Jayne Waters - who falls in love with the lovely Jane, played by Roxanne Williams.  It was great to see such a quality “duo” here – and their musical numbers were delivered with ease

Philip Smith as Gertrude Trott and Dean Harness as Simon were full of mischief and worked really hard to keep the audience on their toes – they make a great double act, and work really well together.  They both have the audience eating out of the palm of their hands.  Well done guys!

There was great support from David Knights as nasty Squire Wentworth, Charlotte Harrison as the ever so evil witch, and Tammy Wilson as the good fairy.  They all deserved the “boos” and “cheers” that the audience gave so freely the night I was there!

The “Giant” was very cleverly created – well done Bryan Blackie for keeping upright!  An ingenious idea to bring the giant to life.  You could audibly hear the audience gasp when the giant entered the stage!

As in any pantomime where there is an “animal” involved, of course everyone falls in love with them – well done to Alicia Babolcsay and Olivia Preston as Daisy, the Trotts faithful cow.  Who knew that cows could dance?!

The whole production was well support by a cast of villagers – with some great musical numbers thrown into the mix.

The band, under the musical direction of David Weale played well throughout.  There were some great backing arrangements which complemented the musical numbers.  The numbers were all well thought out to fit with the story – well done.

Well done Philip, Emma-Jayne and David on another lovely start to the festive season for 2018.  Thank you all for a great evening’s entertainment.

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