A new pantomime has arrived in Lowestoft, offering gigantic laughs!
Jack and the Beanstalk follows the story of Jack as he attempts to save the town of Rock Bottom: living under the shadow on the Giant Blunderbore. However, will Jack be able to save the day, gain the love of Princess Cherry and dance throughout?! This pantomime offers a great family experience for all, with fun choreography, great song choices and an overall entertaining show. The production is made The Lowestoft Players, who we’ve visited before for Grease, Sweeney Todd and KIPPS: Half a Sixpence, to name a few. Usually they produce their productions at the Players Theatre so this is our first exposure to the Marina Theatre. The company put on a range of brilliant productions each year, with Anything Goes and Dear Evan Hansen later this year. Alongside lots of returning faces from previous shows, we were eager to see them take on a pantomime! The Marina Theatre is also a brilliant place to take this story into new heights.
Within the show, lots of ensemble swap into colourful and fun outfits throughout, including the Dame regularly changing. Each outfit was great to see and work really well for each character. Similarly, the lighting and special effects were incredible impressive: especially the giant. During the chase sequence when the giant threatens the cast, the audience were visibly and verbally shocked by the his entrance as it was amazing! The set was charming, using the curtain effectively to swap the set pieces behind the curtain. One think I really appreciated compared to other pantomimes is the unique way The Lowestoft Players understand the musical theatre world. Throughout the show, many musicals are referenced and each one was comedically well done and brilliantly incorporated into the story. I especially enjoyed the Pippin song as this show will always be my favourite musicals, though the Evita and Six references were also fantastic!
The ensemble in this show had some very challenging looking choreography at times, as well as singing with strong vocals. Each of them was able to perform incredibly well, adding to the overall story by acting behind the main cast. The younger ensemble was also a great addition: giving younger children the opportunity to perform. Chris Moore completed the vocals for the Giant. Moore gave a great scary voice for the giant which worked really well. Clarissa Place and Lynda Morgan play Daisy the Cow. The costume worked incredibly well and I enjoyed Daisy’s attitude throughout the show: a credit to both Place and Morgan.
Jamie Collins plays Ragwort, helping the King with collecting taxes for the Giant. Ragwort slowly shifts into the main group as the show continues, giving Collins more time on stage. Collins walk and personality for the character was really strong, embodying the character really well. Emily Simpson plays Fairy Sunshine, an eager fairy who wants to help the story continue. Simpson sung in multiple songs and had really strong vocals each time. I really appreciated Simpson’s song with the younger ensemble: showing a really caring side to Fairy Sunshine. Darryl Peek plays King Crumble, the father to Princess Cherry and the King of the land. Peek’s moments on stage were great, especially when working alongside Dame Durden. I especially enjoyed the song they sung together, being great for comedy timings.
Lauren Nevill plays Evil Electra, a magical being who is eager to please the Giant and support his wishes. I really enjoyed the lighting they used around Nevill during this time, and her costume was the best in the show. Nevill was also able to deliver a deliciously evil character, making the audience boo throughout. Chris Tanton-Willis plays Chancellor Fleshcreep, another loyal member to the Giant’s dastardly plans. Tanton-Willis was creepy in his performance, making the audience really engaged with his as a villain. Tanton-Willis and Nevill’s duet was both vocally brilliant, as well as comedically great! I enjoyed the dynamics between the two of them. Claire Clark plays Princess Cherry, the young maiden that Jack loves. Clark gave a powerful princess who was not afraid to speak her mind: especially to the Giant. I enjoyed both songs in which Clark was headlining and thought she did a great job!
In every pantomime, it is incredibly important to have a fun side kick: often a silly sibling. In this show, Kelly Reed plays Silly Jilly, Jack’s sister and Dame Durden’s daughter. Reed understood comedy timings and was great at gaining the children’s attention with modern jokes and references. Her dancing was really good too and she had a lot of energy which is necessary for this role. Alongside Reed, Nick Garrod plays Dame Durden: the infamous pantomime dame. I’ve seen many pantomime dames and Garrod fully understood what was necessary for a great dame. From fun songs, outlandish outfits and brilliant comedy, Garrod had all of this to offer and more. Playing the titular character, Alex Bracey plays Jack Durden. Bracey has been in many productions we’ve seen by The Lowestoft Players and he always brings great vocals, dancing and acting. This show is not different and Bracey was fantastic throughout! The whole casting of this show was spot on and Paula Crisp (director) should be incredibly proud of the production: it certainly made everyone’s day today!
Jack and the Beanstalk continues to grow until the 1st of February. Book now!
Max
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