You know it’s nearly Christmas when panto season starts. Oh, yes you do.
Crewe Lyceum are welcoming audiences this year with Jack and the Beanstalk from Imagine Theatre.
Written by Tam Ryan and directed by David McNeill, this production is full of fun and suitable for all the family.
The show has everything you could want from a traditional panto. A bright and colourful set, comedy, laughter, with singing and dancing, and of course, a pantomime cow.
Not forgetting an outstanding cast, who worked brilliantly together to make sure the audience had a great night out. Judging by the noise in the theatre on Saturday night, everyone loved it.
One of the most positive things about panto for me is seeing and hearing children getting involved and enjoying theatre, and on Saturday the kids loved the traditional audience participation of joining in and shouting out at the characters on stage.
One of the characters they responded to was Poison Ivy played by Jennifer Ellison.
The kids loved her as the baddie in the story, and she played the role brilliantly. I loved the humour she brought to the character.
Malcolm Lord was wonderful as the Dame and was warmly welcomed back to the Lyceum by the audience.
This year also saw Ste Johnston returning as Simon, who was very, very funny.
Malcolm and Ste make a great double act, and I particularly enjoyed watching them in the hilarious ‘who, what, I don’t know’ sketch. It was a dream to watch, they were both born to perform in panto.
Ollie Hart-Bradford played Jack, our hero who saves the day and who falls in love with Jill, who was played by Beth Lyons.
They had some lovely scenes together and sounded wonderful in their musical numbers. Eliza Waters brought some sparkle as Fairy Flora and David Gilbrook played the Squire.
Producing a panto is no easy task, and credit also has to be given to the team behind the scenes who work incredibly hard to ensure everything goes to plan and runs as smoothly as it can.
Thanks to Uncle Chris for the music, the sound and lighting crew and to those who operated the giant.
If you’re a fan of a traditional panto, then head down to the Crewe Lyceum. You won’t be disappointed. I loved every minute.
Jack and the Beanstalk is just what you need to get you in the Christmas spirit.
(Review by Claire Faulkner)
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