Review: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, Wycombe Swan
Photo credit: Matt Martin
It is clear from the audience reaction that the star of this show was La Voix, valiantly appearing as Dame in a surgical boot after her accident during her time on Strictly Come Dancing. Her wit, quick thinking and good nature are all in evidence, even if her dancing is not part of the performance. And unlike some performers from the drag world, this is a fairly traditional Dame with grotesque cow-themed costumes and a willingness to send herself up.
The other stars of the show are Matt Edwards, as a supremely silly comic lead (strangely named Larry rather than the usual Simon), and Jo Osmond as an eminently ‘hiss-able’ baddie who quite properly allows herself to be reformed at the end. As Jack and Jill, Mark Read and Christina Harris work well together and make the most of the their limited time on stage, and Vanessa Dumatey adeptly leads the storyline as an enthusiastic Fairy, and even provides Jack with a magic sword as used to be essential. Bill-topper and radio DJ Scott Mills plays the Mayor as a radio DJ. The hardworking ensemble also portray an impressive Giant and a more unusual purple cow. The junior cast help to fill the stage and we could have seen more of them.
Directed by the vastly experienced Kevin Wood, this is in many ways a traditional show, apart from the video-based set. Imagine has made something of a feature of this, and they do seem to be striking the right balance now between the uses for the video wall against the occasional painted set piece (although it grates to see regular appearances of stage hands moving set items during fully-lit scenes).
Video works well for audience interaction, sudden transitions, for the eventual change from winter to summer, and for the chase scenes. The bench scene, however, really needs a three-dimensional spider and not one on a distant video screen, and the constant smoke out of chimneys, birds flying overhead and other animations tended to distract at key moments. The pyro for the Fairy impresses the young panto-goer near us far more than anything on the video screen.
Innovative design then but essentially a traditional panto: Jack and the Beanstalk at the Wycombe Swan delivers exactly what the audience wants, and features some talented performers with great potential for the future.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Chris Abbott
Jack and the Beanstalk plays at Wycombe Swan until 4 January, with further info here.