Jack & the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk written especially for Little Downham Youth Club by Peter Crussell was this year’s choice of panto.  I understood from Producer Carol Hebbard that many of the cast were making their stage debut and I have to say I found this hard to believe.  The opening  number was full of energy and confidence, attitudes which were carried through the performance. The whole cast knew what they were doing and they did it with confidence and obvious enjoyment.  

Grace Butcher, with beautifully clear diction as the Narrator, kept us up with the story and/or what was going on whilst also being an integral part of the Ensemble songs and dances. Amy Jarvis (Jack) and Eva Proctor (Jill) were a nice pairing both had good projection which is very important for the storyline.  I very much enjoyed the well delivered performances of Tiffany Fuggle as Jack’s brother Simon and Chloe Lee as Mother Lottie, together with a nice performance from Mia Gayfer who gained the audience’s sympathy as Simon’s would be girlfriend.

Of course there always has to be a “baddie” and Sophie Rutterford as the Baroness was first rate.  Her henchmen Itchy (Sadie-Grace Martin) and Scratchy (Bryony Lenton) left us in no doubt what would happen if folk didn’t pay their taxes.  The poor downtrodden Baron (well-played by Shane Gray) had no chance against those three.  

Once up the beanstalk we met Dorothy (Evie Bennett) blown there from Kansas and Nicholas (the Giant) played by Macey Arnold.  There was more than a nod to The Great Oz here as the Giant wasn’t a giant at all.  Good support came from Chloe Hind who played Mona with a nice bit of attitude and Arison Martin as a Villager who I have to say threw some great shapes when dancing alone on the thrust stage at the end of Act 1. 

The songs, though familiar to the majority of the audience, were probably unfamiliar to the cast at the beginning of rehearsals but the singing was very good with excellent volume.  I must also congratulate Sophie Rutterford on her handling of ‘Money Makes the World Go Round’ which is a difficult song and requires good breath control. Well done Sophie.

On the staging side I must say the set looked splendid, Carol Hebbard and Becky Smith had done a great job.  Sound and lighting was in the hands of JR Light and Sound and, although I felt sound levels were a bit high in places, everything was well handled. All the music and sound effects by Mark A.J. Checkley, were on backing tracks and without exception the music and choreography was aptly dealt with.  Costumes were lovely and colourful, appropriate to character and, more importantly, fitted well.

This was a lovely little panto which had a real twist in the tale.  I don’t think the cast really meant they were looking for another writer Peter Crussell, where would they be without you?  Congratulations to all the cast, Producer Carol Hebbard, Director and Choreographer Becky Smith, Coach Beverley Dean and the production team.

Thank you for the invitation to join you Little Downham Youth Club and for an entertaining afternoon

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