Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch’s much-loved festive pantomime returns this Christmas with a brand-new reimagining of Jack and the Beanstalk, running from 19 November 2025 to 3 January 2026.
This original retelling, written by Kate Lovell and James Watson with music and lyrics by Andrew Linham, places the classic fairytale in the heart of Havering.
Jack and his mum are struggling to keep their family-run dairy afloat. With taxes piling up and business dwindling, their only hope lies in selling Pat the Cow at Romford Market.
But when Jack trades Pat for a handful of mysterious beans, a magical adventure begins to sprout. With a ferocious giant looming above Hornchurch, Jack must climb to Cloudland and save the town before it’s too late.
Directed by Kate Lovell, the production features original songs and celebrates actor-musicianship throughout.
Lovell said, “Jack and the Beanstalk at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch is everything you know and love about this classic fairytale but deeply rooted in our theatre’s community, putting Hornchurch at the heart of the originally written script. Actor-musicianship is celebrated and embedded in the storyline, in the hope we can inspire children and young people coming to the theatre for the first time that music is for everyone.”
The cast includes Megan Ashley, Fred Broom, Lauren Chinery, Toby De Salis, Beth Hinton-Lever, Roddy Lynch, Inés Ruiz, Georgia Leila Stoller and LJ Willow.
The creative team also features musical director Andrew Linham, set and costume designer Gemma Compton, lighting designer Peter Small, sound designer Chris Drohan, choreographer Jordan Langford, casting by Sarah-Jane Price, production management by Adam Jefferys, and costume supervision by Sheree Paton.
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch continues to be a vital cultural hub for Outer East London and South Essex, welcoming over 95,000 audience members annually and engaging a further 35,000 through community participation.
The theatre has been recognised as UK Theatre’s Most Welcoming Theatre for three consecutive years and was named London Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards in 2020.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
