A Christmas panto needs all the right ingredients – a little magic, a few frights, a lot of love and buckets of fun - and Jack and the Beanstalk at the Oxford Playhouse has all of these in abundance.
It was clear from the beginning of the show that the audience were going to get into the panto spirit. The Garden Fairy (Deborah Crow) soon had both children and parents shouting in response to her request that we guess how big the Giant was going to be. The baddie (Chris Larner) appeared - looking like Ozzy Osborne after a night out and as the Giant’s helper, Fleshcreepy, he got the audience booing him very quickly. Alan French played a great Dame Trott and was helped by lots of double entendres. Written and directed by former Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan, the script delivered laughs for all ages. Losing her son Willie, the Dame says: “Everybody shout ‘where’s your Willy?’” (ho ho). Then, picking out a man called Steve in the audience, she quipped: “I like a dark, handsome man…when it’s dark he’s handsome!”
The squire’s daughter, Jill (Laura Pitt-Pulford), falls in love instantly with Dame Trott’s other son, Jack. At first, Jack (Chris Carswell) didn’t strike me as the obvious love interest but he heroically searches for Jill when she is abducted by Fleshcreepy, so she clearly made the right choice. The enormous beanstalk is revealed just before the interval and Jack manages to climb it even though it looked like a huge feat.
After the interval, Jack is at the top surrounded by clouds, joined by his brother and mother who have flown up via a bunch of balloons in order to help. The giant’s lair resembles a Dr Who set, with aliens, a rocket, cyber dogs and cyborg twins (resembling X-Factor’s Jedward, but one of them moves far better). Then the Giant appears and he is frightening. Okay, nobody ran out screaming - but a little boy did a very fast vault over the seats! As for the ending - well, let's just say that even the Dame finds love in the arms of the squire (“I’ll come for tea and you can dunk your biscuit”), and that there is a suitably silly, audience-participatory musical number.
Great entertainment all round, this version of Jack and the Beanstalk scales new heights!
It was clear from the beginning of the show that the audience were going to get into the panto spirit. The Garden Fairy (Deborah Crow) soon had both children and parents shouting in response to her request that we guess how big the Giant was going to be. The baddie (Chris Larner) appeared - looking like Ozzy Osborne after a night out and as the Giant’s helper, Fleshcreepy, he got the audience booing him very quickly. Alan French played a great Dame Trott and was helped by lots of double entendres. Written and directed by former Blue Peter presenter Peter Duncan, the script delivered laughs for all ages. Losing her son Willie, the Dame says: “Everybody shout ‘where’s your Willy?’” (ho ho). Then, picking out a man called Steve in the audience, she quipped: “I like a dark, handsome man…when it’s dark he’s handsome!”
The squire’s daughter, Jill (Laura Pitt-Pulford), falls in love instantly with Dame Trott’s other son, Jack. At first, Jack (Chris Carswell) didn’t strike me as the obvious love interest but he heroically searches for Jill when she is abducted by Fleshcreepy, so she clearly made the right choice. The enormous beanstalk is revealed just before the interval and Jack manages to climb it even though it looked like a huge feat.
After the interval, Jack is at the top surrounded by clouds, joined by his brother and mother who have flown up via a bunch of balloons in order to help. The giant’s lair resembles a Dr Who set, with aliens, a rocket, cyber dogs and cyborg twins (resembling X-Factor’s Jedward, but one of them moves far better). Then the Giant appears and he is frightening. Okay, nobody ran out screaming - but a little boy did a very fast vault over the seats! As for the ending - well, let's just say that even the Dame finds love in the arms of the squire (“I’ll come for tea and you can dunk your biscuit”), and that there is a suitably silly, audience-participatory musical number.
Great entertainment all round, this version of Jack and the Beanstalk scales new heights!
