Jack and the Beanstalk climbs to new panto heights!
Naomi MacKay watched Jack and the Beanstalk at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, which runs until Sunday 4 January.
It’s panto season again – the most wonderful time of the year – and Jack and the Beanstalk blasts it off to a sparkling start in Aylesbury.
This high-energy production fires jokes and silliness at a terrific pace. Aylesbury favourite Andy Collins, breakfast host on BBC Three Counties Radio, returns for an unbelievable 14th year – and it really is like welcoming your favourite mischievous uncle for Christmas.
One of the enduring joys of the Aylesbury panto is its comforting familiarity: the 12 Days of Christmas, the ghosties-and-ghoulies routine, and of course that water fight. But this year’s show manages to make a few fresh tweaks without ever upsetting tradition.
Right from the off, Silly Simon gets everyone on their feet for a sing-and-dance warm-up – a brilliant mood-setter that brings the audience right into panto land.
The story of Jack and the Beanstalk is familiar, but here it’s cheerfully reworked: Jill Pickle, played with charm and confidence by Emma Crossley, steps in as the brave hero playing to the less-adventurous Jack (Joe Sleight).
Jack and his family (Silly Simon and Dame Dolly Dot) are very poor, and they have to sell Daisy the cow (the cutest panto cow I’ve ever seen). And we all know what happens next! Oh yes we do!
As a long-time panto-goer, I still miss the chemistry between Andy Collins and La Voix (who dazzled here as Dame before dancing into Strictly fame), but Leon Craig’s Dame Dolly Dot is a delight. With more costume changes than Beyoncé and an ongoing flirtation with poor Max, a surprised audience member, Craig keeps the humour flowing. And yes, there are those cheeky jokes for adults, perfectly pitched to whizz over the children’s heads.
The standout performance for me, though, was Nigel Harman as Fleshcreep, the giant’s wicked henchman. Playing a panto baddie is an art form, and Harman – who’s racked up villainy on TV, including in Downton Abbey – nails it. He sneers, swaggers, insults the audience, and throws himself into the role with great humour. Often star-name casting can fall flat in panto; not here. Meanwhile, his foil, Shani Cantor as Spirit of the Beans, doesn’t even need her wand to demonstrate her vocal power.
The whole production has a glossy sparkle! The dancers are tight and spirited (including young local performers who earn deserved applause), and it’s lovely to see Molly Lewin return to the stage, having begun her panto journey here as a juvenile dancer.
A new addition this year is a 3D sequence, complete with the classic ghosties routine. I won’t spoil it, but it went down a storm – my 10-year-old companion declared it the best moment… though the water fight ran it close. There can’t be many theatres brave enough to let the audience loose with water pistols, but thank goodness they still do. During the 12 Days of Christmas, chaos erupts, umbrellas pop up, and the festive season suddenly feels officially under way.
Aylesbury has truly outdone itself this year. Traditions old and beloved sit perfectly alongside clever new touches, catchy songs, and endless silliness, making for a non-stop burst of family fun and laughter. It’s pure festive joy.
Tickets: www.atgtickets.com/Aylesbury