Review: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, Eastwood Park Theatre

This year's pantomime at Eastwood Park Theatre is Jack and the Beanstalk and it is produced by Spillers pantomime and directed by Bev Berridge.

The townspeople are living under Fleshcreep's reign of terror and have to pay everything they have to him in taxes. Dame Trott and her sons Jack and Silly Billy have run out of things to sell so they have to give up their beloved family cow Daisy. They're tricked into selling her in exchange for some magic beans and well, if you don't know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk before this, you probably still won't by the end of the show. 

Most pantomimes can generally support a shaky script with a good comedy cast but unfortunately, that is not the case here. Christopher McDougall as Dame Trott is lacklustre from the get-go and the only indication that something is meant to be a joke is the cymbal clash at the end. McDougall's comedic timing is dreadful and the way he rattles through the terrible gags gives the impression he'd rather be anywhere else but on this stage. 

On the flip side, Aidan MacColl has managed to work wonders with a poor script. His energy and enthusiasm is the heart of this production. The jokes are just as terrible but Silly Billy is giving it his all and the audience adore him. Angus Bhattcharya also makes for a fun baddie as Fleshcreep and draws in the big boos.

Plot-wise, you're likely to forget exactly which panto storyline you're watching here. It's a shame because X's set design is good and the costumes by X are brilliant. They've got a lot of the elements right and to be fair, the kids seem to love it. There's crowd participation, dances, 'it's behind you's' and big musical numbers. Act Two is clearly where the budget has gone and the giant is genuinely impressive. A couple of scene changes are handled on a projection screen which probably looks best from further back in the auditorium. 

Another flaw with Jack and the Beanstalk is that it is far too long. It runs at around 2 hours 30 mins with interval and considering there is little to no plot development this is excessive. Splashing the audience with water gets a great reception but it is played out too many times. 

Eastwood Park Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk might be the very definition of a 'mixed bag'. All the core elements of panto are here but some flat performances and jokes that push the innuendo too far really let it down. The main takeaway is that the younger members of the audience have a blast- and that's what really counts. 

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