Jack and the Beanstalk – Nottingham Playhouse

Writer and Director: Adam Penford

As we head into December, panto season in Nottingham has kicked off at the Playhouse with Jack and the Beanstalk. Regular Playhouse panto-goers will know just what to expect, and as usual, it doesn’t disappoint.

The script is once again by Playhouse artistic director Adam Penford, who also directs – and as usual, it’s incredibly funny, laden with the expected local references and totally family-friendly (until the cast decide to divert from it, that is, to the amusement of both the adults in the audience and other cast members who can be seen struggling to keep it together). Designer Cleo Pettit is also back, with fresh and colourful sets and bright, extravagant costumes to warm the heart on a drizzly December evening.

Back for another season is Nottingham panto veteran John Elkington as Dame Daisy Trott, marking 26 years since his first Playhouse pantomime. Elkington is a master at the art of the panto dame, delivering his lines with great comic timing and enough innuendo to keep the adults engaged while going over the heads of the younger audience members. As is often the case, an unwitting audience member is singled out for special treatment, but it’s never done in a way that will make the victim feel in the least bit uncomfortable. Of course, we also get the expected variety of ridiculous costumes, often changed with incredible speed between scenes.

Joining Elkington on stage we have Finton Flynn and Bradley Judge as sons Jack and Silly Billy, and Jewelle Hutchinson as farm manager Jill. Flynn has a good voice, and plays Jack fairly straight compared to the comedy around him, while Judge shows good comic timing in the classic panto-idiot role of Silly Billy. Hutchinson is back for a second year and seems to relish the chance to get her teeth into a bit of comedy after her debut as Cinderella in last year’s panto, holding her own against the more experienced cast members around her and demonstrating an excellent voice when she is given chance to use it.

No panto would be complete without a baddie and a good fairy, and here we find Tom Hopcroft and Caroline Parker filling the roles admirably. Hopcroft is a traditional bad guy as Fleshcreep, complete with evil laughter and his fair share of gags; Parker, though she may not get as much stage time as the others, gives us a nicely-judged Fairy Godmother.

Then we have the cow, Pat (just the sort of joke you find here, and which the young audience members love). In this role we have the wonderfully versatile Alice Redmond, back after last year’s Fairy Godmother role to display a fine line in deadpan comedy.

Once again there’s no adult ensemble, but instead we have two teams of seven young people given lots of stage time to gain skills and experience in the theatre. Do we miss the adults? Not really. The hard work by the seven adult cast members adequately compensates, and the young people fit in beautifully.

Jack and the Beanstalk has a great script, excellent performances and some good music delivered by the small live band accompanying the cast. It’s here for a pretty long run, until 18 January, so you’ll have lots of time to catch it. It’s also accessible for most, with ticket pricing starting at a reasonable level and including a number of Pay What You Can performances, so take yourself down to the Playhouse and enjoy a very entertaining production.

Runs until 18 January 2025