IT’S pantomime time again (Oh yes, it is) and those people lucky enough to have tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk, at The Hawth Theatre, Crawley, are in for a real festive treat – but be prepared for a couple of modern updates to this very traditional tale.
The overture, played by Emma “Auntie Em” Frazer and her live band, immediately gets the full-capacity audience clapping along and in the right mood to greet The Vegetable Fairy, played by Annell Odartey. Her welcoming smile, and crystal-clear vocals take us from a completely bare stage into the heart of the village of Chucklemore in just a few seconds for the traditional “village scene” opening number.
Very quickly we are introduced to the main characters in the tale including Jack, Jess, Billy, Dame Trott and the villain of the piece, Fleshcreep – who works for the giant, Mrs Blunderbore, and her giant teenage son. And there you see a couple of the updates, Jess is the ‘strong, independent female’ who is there to help Jack, and Mrs Blunderbore has taken over from the male character who has featured in previous versions.
We also learn, very early on, that Fleshcreep is threatening the villagers with ‘a total environmental catastrophe’ using his weather changing machine, rather than the usual threat that the giant will eat the villagers alive if they don’t give him all their money. Which means no “goose that lays golden eggs” or magic harp, but the updates work, and the audience are very accepting of the well-crafted changes.
Steve McFadden, taking a break from his 35-year stint as Eastenders’ Phil Mitchell, plays Fleshcreep once again, having previously played the role at The Hawth nine years ago. Part crazed megalomaniac and part loveable rogue, he is obviously very comfortable in the role of “The Baddie” and works well with the audience.
The ‘goodies’ make a great team, fronted by the title character Jack (Joe Gash), every inch the dashing hero. His superb singing voice gets a couple of powerful chances to shine during the show and he also has a great connection with Jess (Erin Armstrong) who helps with defeating the giant and ensuring the good beats evil – or is the giant quite so evil?
Billy, Jack’s brother (Joey Wilby), creates an instant connection with the audience. With just a simple ‘Hiya Gang, Hiya Billy’ introduction every time he appears on stage, and superb comic timing, he helps to keep the story of imminent environmental destruction light-hearted.
Appearing in every scene, and working their socks off as usual, are the ensemble, who take on the dual roles of The Villagers and Fleshcreep’s Zombies. Milly Burrows, Rhianna Richards, Jody Zimmerman, Keir Hylands, Oliver Woodhouse and (making a return appearance in The Hawth pantomime) Harley Emmitt have some very complex choreography, by Josie Lee, and a whole host of costume changes to manage, but they all do it very well, with their energy and enthusiasm radiating from the stage.
Special mention also goes to the Juvenile Ensemble. There are two teams so you may get to see, as I did, Emme Glover, Thea Murray, Emi Stephens, Paige Orpin, Polly Christian, Isabella Yates, Freya Welberry, Mia Lawson and Veronica Onu or you might see Mia Savident, Heidi Sawyer, Seren White, Hermione McMillan, Hattie Sawyer, Olivia Punt, Amy Neve Murphy and Tiffany Watkins.
Crawley pantomime legend, Michael J Batchelor takes on the role of Dame Trott (this year) and, as usual, wastes no time getting the crowd laughing and, with the use of “The Drone of Love”, finding a man to be the love interest. With 13 changes of his incredibly elaborate costumes (some just have to be seen to be believed) and even help, or hinderance, from Colin the Dog (yes, a real dog whose name is actually Bailey), he gives the first-class performance that the Crawley audience have come to expect, and really makes this pantomime so very special.
Paul Hendy, Emily Wood and the team at Evolution Productions have been bringing the pantomime to Crawley for 12 years now and, somehow, every year this festive feast of fun just gets better and better.
***** Five Stars
 and those people lucky enough to have tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk, at The Hawth Theatre, Crawley, are in for a real festive treat – but be prepared for a couple of modern updates to this very traditional tale.){kind=link}