It’s that time of year when we see pantomimes take to the stage to celebrate the festive season – at the Theatre Royal Stratford East this year’s production is Jack & The Beanstalk. Put together by a creative team including Director Dawn Reid, with dialogue by Paul Sirett, this pantomime is a traditional take on the theme with one or two twists in the tail…
Presented by one of Stratford’s typically multi-ethnic casts on a neatly designed stage set, feisty Jack is played by Jorrell ‘MJ’ Coiffic-Kamall, Michael Bertenshaw returns as the gruff-voiced and surly pantomime dame Mrs Trott, Jack’s mother, while the role of ‘principle boy’ is filled by Gemma Salter as Lucy, a newcomer to the town and an amateur sleuth. Slapstick comes in the form of youthful duo Biz and Boz, a pair of bumbling petty crooks played by Oliver Taheri and Jack Shalloo. Bringing up the rear are Windson Liong as evil money-grabbing landlord Mr Fleece and a trio of fine-voiced songstresses – Susan Lawson-Reynolds as housekeeper Mrs Porridge, Allyson Ava-Brown as the animated musical instrument Harpo and a welcome return for Shelley Williams, who gets the short straw in the role of ‘Henrietta. the castle chicken’!
The show-stealing performance, however, is reserved for a character new to the Jack & The Beanstalk story – Dizzy, a 7-foot tall psychedelic rabbit who is Jack’s imaginary friend. Played with the energy of a hyperactive three-year-old by Vlach Ashton, this crocheted wonder is a firm favourite with the children in the audience – gales of laughter greet him every time he pops out from behind the scenery.
A clutch of catchy musical numbers come from Wayne Nunes and Perry Melius covering a variety of genres, although ska and reggae predominate, particularly when Biz and Boz are doing their frequent ‘Madness walks’ across the stage. Uggluck the ogre also deserves an honorary mention – voiced by Ben Bennett and designed by Jenny Tiramani and Harriet Barsby, the huge monster is a wonder and truly terrifying when he first swings into view!
All in all, Jack & The Beanstalk is a colourful and joyous spectacle – the perfect antidote to the winter weather, and it makes for an ideal afternoon or evening’s entertainment for children and adults alike.
Jack & The Beanstalk runs at the Theatre Royal Stratford East until January 19 2013. Ticket prices range from £11 to £23 depending on the performance, with ‘Newham nights’ on January 2 and 3, where first-time visitors who can provide proof of residence in the borough can grab a seat for just £2.50.
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