Jack and The Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

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Reviewed by Jodie Crawford

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is Manchester, we do things differently round here – and Panto is no exception.

This year Crossroads pantomimes give us “Jack and the Beanstalk” in this version we follow the plight of Jack (Jason Manford) and Simon (Ben Nickless) as they try to rescue Princess Jill (Emma Williams) from the clutches of Myra Blunderbore (Myra Dubois) and her husband, the Giant.

They are helped along the way by The Spirit of the Beans (Samara Casteallo) who brings a little bit of magic, charm, and sparkle to their journey.

Crossroads pantomimes know that they have a recipe for success pairing Jason Manford and Ben Nicklless once more. These two are a match made in heaven and we love it. We can only hope they’ll return in 2024 – because let’s face it they’ve moulded Manchester Panto into what it now is and it just wouldn’t be the same without them.

This show is good for the soul. It’s got all the ingredients of a traditional panto: a wonderful charismatic dame, a talented ensemble, the classic gags and panto routines, sequins, dance sequences and audience participation. But this production has so much more. It’s a feast for the senses, from pyrotechnics to huge moving beanstalks, flying cars and some of the best comedy routines I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the giant himself.

What this panto also shows us is that you don’t need a token popstar to wheel out for the big numbers, because this cast is outstanding in the vocals department. Each can hold their own, in their own right. I know Manford has done much singing professionally, but I really think he gets better each year. Emma Williams is also an excellent vocalist along with the magnificent Myra Dubois.

Dubois is everything you want her to be as the Dame: brash, bold, quick witted, and a comic too. She is uber glamorous and we really weren’t sure whether we should be booing her or cheering her because deep down we are all just a little bit in love with her.

Ok, so the plot gets lost quite a bit, but who cares. Manford and Nickless command the audience, they have us in stitches from start to finish, so whether the cast have suddenly rescued the princess and the animals without much character exploration really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

There is something for everyone in this panto, and it is an absolute must see. So, get down to the Opera House and have yourself a good giggle this Christmas, as well as a rave to old Macdonald – you won’t regret it!

Jack and the Beanstalk is on at Manchester’s Opera House until Sunday 31st December, tickets available here.

Jack and the Beanstalk

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Reviewed by Nikki Cotter

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

St Helens Theatre Royal’s half term pantos have become a staple for many families across the North West. Great casts, gorgeous costumes, colourful sets and guaranteed fun!

This Autumn’s offering is no exception as Jack and The Beanstalk packs in the laughs, glittering musical numbers and plenty of opportunity for little ones (and big ones) to interact with the cast, shouting those classic “It’s behind you” panto staples.

Originally broadcast as a live-steamed production during the first national lockdown Jack and the Beanstalk received such a great response that St Helens Theatre Royal together with Regal Entertainment decided to bring it back so audiences can experience the magic of theatre live on stage.

Directed by Chantelle Nolan and written by Reece Sibbald (who also plays Simple Simon) Jack and the Beanstalk is the classic fairytale featuring magic beans and a rather grumpy giant but adds in the twist of an extra baddie, Mrs Fleshcreep who brings additional mischief to the story.

Featuring several Theatre Royal favourites there is laughter from the start as Fairy Mary played perfectly by Jenna Sian O’Hara introduces us to this magical story.

Mark Two and Reece Sibbald make for a great comedy pairing as Dame Dolly Trott and Simple Simon while the always brilliant Timothy Lucas is hilarious as Jack, his thick Scouse twang offering continuous laugh out loud moments as he swaggers across the stage as our hero of the hour.

Olivia Sloyan as Princess Jill is a perfect pairing to jovial Jack while Catherine Cunningham makes for a wickedly wonderful baddie.

There’s sadly no juvenile dancers in this production due to Covid complexities but the senior dancers do a fantastic job of filling the stage & delivering Nazene Langfield’s choreography beautifully. The ‘Light Fantastic’ ultraviolet light section is a big hit with the audiences offering a great alternative to the traditional 3D sequence.

There’s plenty of big numbers throughout which will keep even the littlest of audiences members entertained while of course there’s bucket loads of cheeky jokes for the adults and more toilet humour than you could shake a stick at for the kiddies.

It’s another triumph for St Helen’s Theatre Royal. The quality of their pantomime’s is something to be truly proud of, guaranteed entertainment at brilliant price with tickets starting at £13.

If you’re looking for half term fun then look no further, Jack and the Beanstalk is just the ticket! Fabulous fast-paced fun for all the family.

Catch Jack and The Beanstalk at St Helens Theatre Royal until Sunday 31st October tickets available here.

Jack and the Beanstalk

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Review by our mini reviewer, Daisy Eagleton, aged 9.

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Christmas showstopper Jack and the Beanstalk, which is one of my favourite pantomimes, is jam-packed with some great actors at the Oldham Coliseum.

Jack was played by Sam Glenn who did an amazing job of making everybody smile with his fun personality.

Chris Lawson directed the show and brought in a different vibe to the usual panto, making this very modern, tackling things like veganism and how we use so much technology!

I loved the young dancers in the show, and they had such beautiful and colourful costumes – I wish I could dance like they did.

A big mention needs to go to everyone behind the scenes as they did a great job with the scenery and set; the huge beanstalk coming out of the ground and going into the air was so magical to watch.

The real laughs in the show come from watching Dame Dotty Trott, played by Richard J Fletcher, who made everyone nearly fall out of their seats with his funny jokes and over the top outfits. His unicorn costume was definitely the best!

My favourite character was Hazy the Hippy Cow, played by Mitesh Soni, who danced to ‘I like to moo-ve it’ and said we should ‘give peas a chance’, which made me smile a lot.

If you like pop music too, there’s so many hits in the show, including ‘Giant’ by Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, which is really cool and got me and the rest of the kids in the audience singing along to it.

This pantomime was so good, me and my five-year-old brother loved it. It’s on until January 12th 2020 and I would definitely say to go see it!

Jack and the Beanstalk, Oldham Coliseum 16th Nov-11th Jan 2020 tickets available here.