In turbulent times when there is no money to pay the rent, a shining new future lies somewhere at the top of a beanstalk.
Once upon a time, in a London borough far far away, Jack lives with his mother Mrs Trott and their beloved cow named Marilyn. Times are hard and the only way to keep a roof over their heads is to take poor Marilyn to market. When Jack returns with five magic beans, his mum is understandably unimpressed; little could she guess the incredible adventure about to befall her only son. With enchanted overworlds, definitive villains and plenty of raucous comedy this is a Christmas pantomime that ticks all the boxes.
This 21st century pantomime is awesomely creative, with subtle pop culture references and elements of cult films. Jack’s imaginary friend Dizzy who happens to be a giant psychedelic bunny gives a definite feel of Donnie Darko, as well as adhering to the panto ‘animal skin’ tradition. Michael Bertenshaw who plays the hairy legged Mrs Trott and is surprisingly genteel in real life explains, “It’s written in a way that appeals to kids’ current interests. It’s more gritty and down to earth.”
This being Bertenshaw’s 19th pantomime at Stratford East, he’s certainly an authority on the subject, commenting, “What I love about panto is the way kids are encouraged to speak up when adults are behaving badly.” And speak up they certainly do, booing and cheering every step of the way. An especially poignant moment was when overworld skivvy Mrs Porridge played with supreme energy by Susan Lawson-Reynolds asks the audience if grownups should be kind to children. This question was met with a resounding ‘YES!’
The moral elements of archetypal panto are all present and correct. The pair of thieving ‘baddies’ Biz and Boz are decked out in striped shirts and carry sacks labelled ‘swag.’ As they stomp around the stage singing about the great fun they have being evil, the divides between right and wrong are clearly drawn. There is certainly no doubting the wickedness of the ‘steak and kiddy pie’ eating ogre Uggluck, who is portrayed by a gigantic carnival puppet with claw like hands. His booming declaration of ‘I smell BOY!’ even had me wishing there was a nearby sofa I could duck behind. Of course our break dancing hero Jack is backed up by his honest detective friend Lucy and a kind hearted Mrs Trott. Bertenshaw plays the dame with deliberate gruffness and plenty of grimacing, to hilarious effect. Sirret’s astute writing means there are plenty of risqué jokes for the adults which mercifully go over the children’s heads.
This show is an explosive combination of old and new which has unlimited appeal for any audience. With sings alongs, shout outs and cross dressing the production took me straight back to being a four year old bursting with the wonder of Christmas. The social commentary, Reggae songs and Dr. Frankenstein inspired overworld creatures, left my adult persona thoroughly delighted and laughing its socks off. As our leading man Kamall points out “It’s a very fun family orientated thing to do around Christmas and it brings a lot of families together.” Never was a truer word spoken…OH NO IT WASN’T!
Jack and the Beanstalk is showing at Theatre Royal Stratford East until the 19th of January 2013. For more information please visit http://www.stratfordeast.com/jack-and-the-beanstalk
Review by Gillian Fisher