This souped-up panto is a feast for the eyes and ears.
What happens when you give your local panto the budget of a premier London theatre? You get a beanstalk climbing wall, a 30-foot robot-giant with claws, and a copy of Anton Du Beke’s B Is For Ballroom, apparently.
This is the Lyric Hammersmith’s offering to the panto gods, a revamped Jack and the Beanstalk, written by Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly with direction from Nicholai La Barrie and choreography from Arielle Smith. It’s a panto pastiche of sorts, bringing in elements of both Jack and Jill and Aladdin. Fairy Godperson-in-training Jill (Madison Bulleymont) is scolded when they select their friend Jack (Leah St Luce) to receive three wishes, as these wishes must improve the world for good if Jill is to complete their training.
The well-known tale of magic beans and golden geese follows, with the slight twist of being set in a Hammersmith under the cosh of a Giant Tax (ha). It’s great to see such a localised panto in a London that theatre often treats as a monolith, although it feels odd getting the audience to rail against taxation in a building that would crumble without public funding (yes, hello, I’m the dickhead dissecting political messaging in a panto.)
The best pantos make it look easy when it really, really isn’t. With Jack and the Beanstalk, the jokes flow effortlessly, there’s enough for the kids and the adults, they know when to play around and when to drive the story. They follow the panto formula to the letter, and yet it doesn’t feel at all stale. A large part of this is the music: a jukebox of remixed Beyonce, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish that gives the production a fresh, modern shimmer. The band, led by Adam Gerber, is note-perfect and the songs are transposed appropriately for the stage – no X Factor-style cringe here.
Every great panto needs a great dame – luckily Dame Trott doesn’t spare an inch of sparkle and swagger. Played by Emmanuel Akwafo (recently in the superb For Black Boys… at the Royal Court), Trott checks every box of boldness, self-indulgence and melodrama. Her will-they-won’t-they tango with villain Fleshcreep (Jodie Jacobs) has the audience in stitches, made all the funnier by Akwafo’s horned-up bassiness.
The rest of the cast all give great performances: the energy and chemistry between St Luce and Bulleymont is perfect panto, Finlay McGuigan is a great foil as Jack’s overlooked brother Simon, Jacobs is razor-sharp with the audience and the ensemble of Jamal Franklin, Anna Davey, Norma Butikofer and Toyan Thomas-Browne are brilliantly versatile.
As aforementioned, the production value is unlike anything that a panto audience might be used to. The costumes are a charming mix of patchwork and glitter with colour popping across the stage, and Dame Trott’s dairy-based wardrobe (stay with me) is something to behold. The set, held together by massive LED portals stretching upstage, is immense and so at times the direction can feel a bit sparse given the relatively small cast size.
Jack and the Beanstalk has all the heart of a traditional panto but none of the rust. If you’re looking for a great night at the theatre this Christmas, you can’t go wrong here.