Jack and the Beanstalk
Rating: ★★★★
Venue: New Wimbledon Theatre, London
Cast: Alexandra Burke, Joe Pasquale, Ceri Dupree and Ria Jones 

Don’t miss Wimbledon’s GIGANTIC panto spectacular! Doomed to sell his trusty cow, join Jack and his family as they fight to outwit the evil giant, win riches beyond his wildest dreams and the hand of the girl he loves. Expect laughs, music, special effects, magic beans and bundles of audience participation in this giant of a pantomime!

Fabulously fun, hysterical and entertaining, panto season is back, with Jack and the Beanstalk being the show of choice at Wimbledon this Christmas; full of festive silliness and colourful costumes. The evening flew by as we watched the cast entertain each other as much as us, with people going off-script, and punchlines seeming new, even to each other, throughout the night. 

We were all reminded just why Alexandra Burke won the X Factor in 2008, as she delighted us with her hit Bad Boys and a version of her Christmas number one Hallelujah after being turned into good from evil by the loveable Spirit of the Beans (Ria Jones). Though charismatic and with plenty of stage presence eliciting many boos from the audience, I felt she could have been slightly more convincing in her portrayal of the ‘evil’ nature of her character at times. 

Various scenes offered plenty of opportunity for laugh-out-loud moments, including an ever-increasingly long tongue twister, and a hilarious version of the 12 Days of Christmas, during which Jack Trott himself (Benjamin Yates) couldn’t control his laughter. Lots of these moments were, of course, enabled by Silly Simon, expertly played by panto legend Joe Pasquale, who had the audience in stitches in every scene. He was accompanied by the Dame (Ceri Dupree), whose array of extravagant costumes, and a stellar turn dressed as Cher, entertained us to no end. 

Very much fun for all the family, the staging and scenery were bright and colourful, with special effects wowing adults and children alike, such as Silly Simon flying above the audience at the end of act one and the Beanstalk growing up out of the pit. Especially effective was the puppet used for the Giant, perhaps slightly terrifying for young children, but an impressive theatrical feat filling up the entire stage. 

It was refreshing to go to a panto that didn’t overdo it on the current affairs-based jokes, which can sometimes feel shoe-horned in, and instead the humour was spot-on, with plenty of laughs for the adults, but enough for the kids to laugh along with too. Kids from the audience, chosen by the production team to join Silly Simon on stage at the end, provided more unscripted hilarity and reminded us of the spirit of pantomime.

Though the songs were not overly memorable and the story gets lost slightly among the gloriously silly panto madness, this is exactly what makes it such a unique art form. None of us go to a panto for the plot, but we love it anyway for the sheer joy and escapism it provides, and this version of Jack and the Beanstalk was certainly no different. 

You can book tickets to Jack and the Beanstalk, here.

Review by Vickie

**photo credit: Danny Kaan**