Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Dan Osbourne, Thelma Madine, Suzanne Collins, Alison Crawford, Michael Chapman, Bradley Thompson, Jack Hilton, Herbert Howe, Amy Fielding, Kyle Corrin, Olivia Horton, Stephen Nicholls, Georgia Jones, Georgia Austin, Michael Jones, Grace Felton, Chloe McKeown, Connor McCourt, Olivia Baccino, Jack Lisner.
Jack’s back in town and the giant quakes with fear in his castle in the clouds and the henchwoman knows her days are numbered…well not quite, this is after all a Pantomime and the hero isn’t exactly the courageous, quick witted type.
Jack Trott left the town many years ago to formulate a plan in which to save his home, his family and be the one true love of the King’s daughter, Jill. He arrives back just in time to save the day and selling the family cow in exchange for some beans. With barely enough to make even a small casserole, expectations are as low as the King’s standing and it seems that the giant and his servant Fleshcreep will have their way after all.
The Epstein Theatre has enjoyed many a nod and a wink to the audience for its Christmas shows since re-opening but as time goes on the performances only get better and better as returning cast members give a guiding hand to new performers, it is an enjoyable ethic and one in which the season’s brightest and most honest of periods in a world that has become too cynical for its own good.
Michael Chapman, in his tenth pantomime for LHK Productions, shows once more exactly why he is one of the finest Dames around. His interaction with the children is first rate and the gentle irreverence he shows them gets the entire audience laughing. It is though the way he binds the show together in which makes him a joy to watch as Dame Trott, the knowing asides and throwaway lines to the crowd are just what an audience needs to be entertained and fulfilled with that extra oomph before the day in which amusing their children seems to become ever harder. With Michael Chapman though at the helm, the job becomes much easier and his quick wit and interaction with both Dan Osbourne and Bradley Thompson that give a very good panto an edge in which to relish.
One of the great pleasures in watching theatre in Liverpool is knowing when an audience will see Suzanne Collins back on stage in her home town, the reaction she receives, no matter the part, is a testament to an actor who gives it all up for the moment. As Fleshcreep, the servant to Herbert Howe’s disembodied giant, she seemed to relish the mock booing deserving of such an evil henchwoman. Suzanne is one of Liverpool’s favourite actresses and alongside Michael Chapman, brings Jack and the Beanstalk very much to life with some wonderful colour and genuine spirit.
Jack and the Beanstalk branches out from root to tip in ways that many would like to dare to follow.
Ian D. Hall