Little Jack Horner

Little Jack Horner by Paul Reakes is the tale of Jack, the naughtiest school boy in Dame Dimwit’s school, who puts his thumb in a pie and pulls out the prize jewel in the royal treasure, everyone assumes he has stolen it. Only Jack knows the real thief is the wicked Lord Chamberlain, Graball. Jack manages to prove his innocence and all ends happily. Published in 1990 this pantomime had clearly been amended as it included a number of modern and local references that gave the audience a chuckle - I will have to pop in to the George!

John Williamson’s set was very simple yet effective. Multiple cloths were used to create different locations, particular favourites were the Royal Palace, Classroom and the Gypsey Camp. For the latter, the addition of a stool and two cartwheels worked really well against the painted wagon as this added depth. It was a shame the upstage flats were not brought in as this would have helped compensate for the width of the cloths. The set worked well with John Cloke’s lighting design, the spotlight used for Graball’s ‘moments’ were steady and focussed every time, not easy. All scene changes were quick and quiet, well done.

It was great to see and hear a live band however it was a pity the decision was made to use backing tracks for some of the numbers. Credit must be given to Richard Boxell who balanced the sound of the band, backing tracks and performers magnificently. Musical Director, Nat Wilsher picked an array of musical numbers however less may have benefitted this production as it would have given choreographer Hannah McGown more time to polish movement. Co-directors John Williamson and Nicola Boxell utilised multiple entrances, created height so smaller cast members could be seen and maximised every opportunity for audience participation, which the younger audience members loved. This could have been enhanced further with a messy cooking scene when making the pies. The show did slow in places however this could be attributed to the noise and distraction from the auditorium, the cast did exceptionally well to remain focussed through this.

Unfortunately, there are too many named roles to mention everyone. It was lovely to see so many young people cast in principle roles. Teens; Daisy Broome, Chelsea White and Jess Richards grew in confidence as the show progressed. Daisy’s Miss Patience reminded me of Miss Honey from Matilda, sweet and caring. Chelsea’s Little Jack Horner was mischievous, and without a doubt she mastered the Australian accent. Jess as Prince Peter was a natural fit, her diction and delivery were spot on, I can see Jess playing the principle boy for many a year to come. I really enjoyed Ady Goff’s performance as King Marmaduke, and finally Dame Demwitt’s two ‘star’ pupils Bertie and Gertie played by Mike Spellar and Sarah Williamson made a terrific double-act who gave stand out performances. Both performed with such energy and charisma, reacting throughout the entire show. I can only assume they enjoyed these roles?

Overall, this was a good production and without a doubt the future looks bright for CADS. Looking through your previous productions you do not always go for a conventional pantomime and therefore I look forward to, and will hopefully see next year’s pantomime.

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