Although Lyric Hammersmith’s panto of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn’t always manage to reach the skies, it is a celebratory production that gives its own unique local take to the fairy tale and it is packed with festive cheer.
It’s Jack and Jill’s first day at Fleshcreep Academy, the strictest school in Hammersmith. The merciless headteacher Fleshcreep has pupils on a tight leash; it’s just three strikes and it’s ‘off to the giant’. The giant feeds on young children’s creativity: ‘Fee Fi Fo Fum I want a child’s imagination in my tum.’ To add to the tangle, Jack and Jill’s mother is the new dinner lady, and there is a mysterious Fairy Godfather running the drama department.
Jack suffers from social anxiety, and his alter ego is communicated through a sock puppet. When his sister is kidnapped into Giantland, Jack has to find his inner confidence to climb the beanstalk to rescue Jill and save the community of Hammersmith from losing its imagination.
Written by Sonia Jalaly and directed by Nicholai La Barrie, this sometimes messy production of Jack and the Beanstalk is a hit-and-miss affair. The first half needs tightening up. It takes quite a while to warm up, lacks pace and feels at times decidedly flat.
Opening with a spirited Matilda school-style rap song about revolution that references activist Greta Thunberg, it is in the second half where this production really comes to life. Another standout song (by composer and arranger Corin Buckeridge), with the hook line “Give it to me Ofsted,” is ironically given a lively rendition from clipboard-wielding school inspectors. The audience participation sock and spoon race, and the sing-along also provide some of the most engaging moments of the production.
Despite the muddled narrative, the actors do their best to keep up the momentum, and this panto is perked up considerably by some delightful performances. Joey James is very likeable as Jack and is well paired with Sienna Widd as his feisty sister Jill. John Partridge oozes charisma as the nefarious Fleshcreep, while Jade Hackett is comedy gold as the lovable, ever-optimistic Fairy Godfather. Thanks to choreographer Kayla Lomas-Kirton, the talented ensemble tightly deliver some nifty numbers.
Despite not always hitting its mark, you could tell by all the joyful interaction from both children and adults that this production of Jack and the Beanstalk was a clear hit for the audience.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
