Rating: ★★★★
Venue: Charing Cross Theatre, London
Cast: Jordan Stamatiadas, Matthew Baldwin, Laura Buhagiar, Joe Grundy, Dame Dora Herd, Keanu Adolphus Johnson, Chris Lane, Laura Anna Mead, Caitlin Swanton and Fin Walton
Jack Trott is very poor, very gay and very horny, living with his mum on a dilapidated dairy farm ten miles from the nearest Grindr user. When he sells their beloved cow for a handful of magic beans, his mum throws them in the compost - and they wake up to the biggest, thickest stalk they've ever seen. Is there a giant at the top? And if so... is he all in proportion? This magical musical adventure is everything a panto should be - just NOT for all the family!
Jack and the Beanstalk is a well known pantomime story, a poor boy has to sell his cow to make some money. He is conned into selling her for some magic beans which then grow a huge beanstalk and a giant terrorises the village. We all know it well but He’s Behind You Productions have put a filthy twist on this classic story. This is a show that is strictly for the adults, and only those with a filthy sense of humour will enjoy it!
It has all the look of a classic pantomime, plenty of bright colours and glitter adorn the costumes and staging. The songs by Jon Bradfield are full of sexual innuendo and witty lyrics, and the story stays true to the original with the addition of queer love stories. At its core this is still a pantomime so it has everything you would expect; painted backdrops, sweeties for the audience, a pantomime cow and of course, an impressively large…beanstalk!
The cast look like they’re having the absolute best time performing this show. Chris Lane is ‘Dale’ the town fairy who seems to do every job in the town, from postman to tea shop owner. Lane brings a delightful energy to the role, helping to move the story along with great humour. Jordan Stamatiadas is brilliantly unhinged as the evil Lady Fleshcreep with her dastardly plans and unusual crush on Jack.
Laura Anna Mead is charming as Simone, the simple niece of Fleshcreep. She shows off an impressive voice and wonderful comic timing throughout. Matthew Baldwin is the absolute stand-out performer as Dame Dolly Trott. Baldwin wins the lukewarm audience over and makes sure they’re joining in at all the right moments. As any dame should, Dolly has the best costumes in the show - the stagey dress is one that will be the envy of any theatre fan!
As mentioned, the humour is filthy; at points it teeters on the edge of acceptable with jokes surrounding religion and current events. They just about manage to stay on the right side, using the darker humour to then highlight the more easy-going moments. There is also the wonderful inclusion of two queer love stories, one between Reverend Tim and Jack (a brilliant graveyard scene sees them coming together) and the other between Alice and Simone. It feels important to see these stories play out in such a normalised and light-hearted way.
This is a hilariously naughty take on a classic pantomime which makes for a brilliant adult evening out!
You can book tickets to Jack and the Beanstalk - What a Whopper!, here.
Review by Rosie
**photo credit: Steve Gregson**
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