Jack and the Beanstalk Review – Fun, sass, glamour, and animation that gets to the bad guys | stage

TIt’s not your standard Jack and the Beanstalk. In Sonia Jalali’s version, the story is picked up and dropped at a school in Hammersmith, run by the meat-loving monster Fleshkrip (John Partridge, wearing a salami-printed suit). There’s no giant either; Just a giant computer system hidden in the sky, designed to wipe children’s brains of all their imaginations.

It’s all fun and good games, but sometimes you crave a little familiarity. However, with the truly adorable Fairy Godfather (Jade Hackett) front and center in this production, it would take a real curmudgeon not to be fooled by all the festivity. Hackett combines charm and wisdom to deliver one of the most poignant roles I have ever seen on a panto stage.

The production, directed by Nicolai La Barrie, pulsates with a joyful spark. There is a fiery love story between Mama Trout and the Fairy Godfather; They are attracted together like magnets every time they close their eyes on stage. What’s not here are the political jokes that have characterized the singing panto of years past. Aside from one reference to the Coldplay CCTV cheating saga (very well done), it doesn’t seem particularly topical either.

So, La Barrie leans entirely into the glamor of it all. The pop songs come thick and fast, with choreography by Kayla Lomas-Kirton sending the stage into a disco ball frenzy. Jack, played by Joey James, is a nervous little thing who hides behind a sock puppet (used to varying degrees of success) perched on his arm. His sister Jill (the brilliantly sassy Sienna Wade) has a no-nonsense attitude and refuses to be intimidated by Fleshcreep’s sinister threats. When her mother and brother finally enter the Giant’s Kingdom after climbing a beanstalk made of socks to save her, she’s completely unfazed by the whole thing.

Sam Harrison’s lady may not have the taste of others who came before her. But, with Partridge at the helm, this is a wicked Christmas success. Even the audience is afraid of him – proper animation fun.