JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. To 15 January.
Exeter
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
by John Crocker and Eric Gilder
Northcott Theatre To 15 January 2005
Mon-Sat various dates 1.30pm 2pm 4pm (1 Jan only) 6pm 7pm no performance 25 Dec 10 Jan
Audio-described 12 Jan 7pm
BSL Signed 11 Jan 1.30pm 12 Jan 7pm
Running time 2 hours 15 minutes One interval
TICKETS: 01392 493493
www.northcott-theatre.co.uk
Review Hazel Brown 9 December
A proper Panto? Oh, yes it is!All the elements of a proper Christmas pantomime are present in this production principal boy, pantomime cow, a good fairy, a hissable villain, an enormous giant and an OTT Dame, as well as plenty of music, dance, colour and audience participation. This is a tried and tested winning formula from the father and son team of John and Ben Crocker.
Fairy Evergreen sets the scene in front of a colourful curtain, followed by Pestblight - Jeffrey Harmer entering to an explosion and lots of smoke, a smarmy villain who immediately elicits the requisite hisses and boos and later has a show stopping number based on the Rocky Horror Show's Time Warp. Both these characters speak in glorious rhyming couplets.
The hero, Jack, is the attractive Reanne Farley, resplendent in suede jerkin and leather boots, whose wooing of Princess Felicia (Louise Clayton in fine voice) never borders on embarrassing territory. Their duet, Getting to Know You is turned into an hilarious scene by being spied upon by Gordon Cooper, the King's hapless and hopeless chancellor, dressed as a tree that joins in the dancing.
The tour de force performances are provided by Steve Bennett as Jack's mum, the Dame, whose costumes change for every scene become increasingly outrageous (a genuinely comic performance that never strays into smut) and Daisy, the pantomime cow, whose demeanour engages audience sympathy by clever body language and the blinking of her enormous eyes.
All these are ably supported by Colin Tarrant as the buffoon of a king, Noel White and Katharine Fullam as Simple Simon and Jumping Joan - two fun characters straight from the old TV programme Playschool - and a truly enormous animatronic Giant. The live music is catchy, with some original songs as well as re-workings of well known tunes, and the dancing is appropriate for village settings.
For the grown-ups, there is a wonderful parody of an opera scene in the Giant's kitchen. There are a few scary moments, but nothing unacceptable to even the youngest members of the audience, who also have the chance to come onto the stage and sing along with the main characters. At the end, the whole audience exits smiling.
For a feel-good evening of traditional English Christmas pantomime enjoyment, beat a path to the Northcott. Oh yes you should!
Fairy Evergreen: Jane Bellamy
Demon Pestblight: Jeffrey Harmer
Jack Durden: Reanne Farley
Lord Percy Pickles: Gordon Cooper
King Umpty The Umpteenth: Colin Tarrant
Dame Dorothy Dottie Durden: Steve Bennett
Simple Simon: Noel White
Jumping Joan: Katharine Fullam
Princess Felicia: Louise Clayton
Daisy the Cow: Jane Bellamy, Torquil Home
Red Team: Lucie Edmans, Alex Hilson, Olaf Millington-Jung, Sophie Shepherd, Tara Stapley, Chloe Voller, Cayla Walter, Alexandra Whitehead
Blue Team: Yana Browning, Matthew Churchley, Sophia Clements, Harriet Dudbridge, Saxony Dudbridge, Daniel Parsons-Mitchell, Hannah Storey, Ellie Williams
Green Team: Timothy Gale, Sarah Hewett, Megan Huish, Luke Martin, Emile Morrison, Chloe Patmore, Susan Reevy, Lauren Thomas.
Director: Ben Crocker
Lighting: Russell Payne
Choreographer: Paula Crutchlow
Sound: Chris Owen
Musical Director/Keyboards: Paul McClure
Scenery and costumes provided by Tell-Tale Theatre Productions Ltd, with Dame costumes by Becky Hawkins, Daisy and Tree costumes by Jeannie Fletcher and principals' costumes by Alexandra Marchant.
2004-12-14 23:54:13