Hull New Theatre – until 31st December 2022
Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams
5*****
Jack And The Beanstalk will deliver everything you could possibly want from a panto, it is an utter joy from start to finish. This production does not rely on gimmicks or major technical wizardry, it harks back to the simpler productions of yesteryear and is all the better for it. Having said that, the simple sets are quite stunning and the 3d effects are fabulous. Jack And The Beanstalk has all the audience participation you could want, cheesy jokes, singing and dancing and will brighten even the coldest of days.
This production has a small cast, but what a hugely talented and tight knit bunch they are, working hard to ensure that the audience has the best night out. In this version of Jack And The Beanstalk, the Giant’s wife Mrs Blunderbore (Chelsea Hall) comes down from Cloudland to find animals for her husband to eat and the Trots are worried that she will take their cow Daisy. Mother Nature (Georgia Iudica-Davies) has found Jack Trot (Gareth Gates) and Princess Jill (Allana Taylor), who she is sure will defeat the Giant.
Neil Hurst’s Silly Simon is an utter delight, he developed an instant rapport with the audience, working us with consummate ease! He is clearly in his element as he bounces around the stage causing chaos and ad-libbing with glee. Full of corny jokes that remain just this side of clean, absolutely perfect. He was the glue that held the whole panto together.
Gareth Gates made an excellent Jack Trot and clearly relished every minute of his role. He has a beautiful singing voice and his rendition of Unchained Melody was a highlight for me.
Jack Land Noble was delightful as Dame Trot, the perfect panto dame. Dame Trot’s costumes were suitably over the top. He had an excellent rapport with the rest of the cast.
Chelsea Hall may be from Hull, but as the baddy of the panto she was booed with great glee by all the audience. She played her part to perfection.
Georgia Iudica-Davies and Allana Taylor played their parts to perfection too, both have beautiful singing voices.
The ensemble was great, playing a variety of roles, the animals and particularly Daisy the cow being real favourites. The band led by Jon Chamberlain provided the perfect musical accompaniment.
Last night there was an additional person on stage – Andy the signer, as this was a signed performance. He was constantly being teased by Silly Simon as he tried to make him sign “rude” words or quickly gave him tongue twisters. Andy was wonderful to watch, BSL is a very expressive language and he threw himself into the whole performance. Absolutely fabulous.
Pantomime should be a joyous experience and this was just that. Do not make the mistake that pantomime is for children, I went with three adult friends and we all had an absolute blast and I left the theatre with my jaws aching as I had laughed so much. This is without a doubt the best panto I have seen. Make every effort to get to see it – it really will make your Christmas.