Dreamworks Entertainments and Gladstone Theatre have really excelled themselves with their Easter Panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, which enjoyed an all too brief four-day run at the Port Sunlight venue.
The first thing to note about this show is its eminent suitability for a family audience. The soundtrack is enjoyably punchy whilst never being over-loud, so the cast are able to let their dialogue and songs really take centre stage, alongside the dance from a nicely choreographed supporting ensemble. The script finds a good balance between telling the story and including the various panto conventions and set-pieces. Meanwhile, the jokes are generally child friendly with much of the adult-specific humour being so subtle that many of the grownups might miss it (especially if they haven’t seen the movie Saltburn!)
Lewis Pryor (who flew in here as Peter Pan at Christmas) takes the title role of Jack Trott. It is over a decade now since I first gave Pryor a glowing report in my review in The Stage for his ‘Buttons’, and the innate ability that he has to work an audience has continued to grow, while his charm in these roles has never diminished. He is a fine choice for Jack and certainly has the children rooting for him throughout.
Michael Chapman is always tremendous as Dame, and Dame Trott is a corker of a role for him to play with. His delivery of the jokes is second to none, and his physical comedy takes some beating too. Meanwhile, Ellie Clayton as Jill, Michael Alan Bailey as Silly Scott and Justine Langford as Fairy Fertile all deliver strong, enthusiastic performances.
Darren John Langford’s Fleshcreep is nuanced to the Goldilocks point of perfection. Panto villains need to be eminently boo-able but it is easy for Fleshcreep to become a bit too scary for the smaller children – Langford has it just right here, and keeps the balance with precision.
Even the Giant, who scares the living daylights out of the youngsters in many productions, is verging on the cuddly side here, so thankfully there are none of the tearful children who we sometimes see on his arrival.
Possibly the only square peg in the cast might be the aptly named Squire Pegg, in which Neil Macdonald occasionally feels a tad stilted in his delivery. Nonetheless, he makes some good comic mileage out of a moment of corpsing with the script.
Sets and costumes are bright and colourful, including a surprisingly effective inflatable triffid of a beanstalk, and the show is well lit by Nathan Storm. Direction is by Laura Newnes, who keeps everything cantering along at a good pace and holds everything in check on the family friendliness front. All in all this is a bagful of magic beans that really delivers.
Star Rating 4 stars
Production Photography by Ian Fairbrother
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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