Review: JOCK AND THE BEANSTALK, Pavilion Theatre Glasgow
Photo credit: Martin Shields
Welcome to Cowcuddles on the Clyde, home to the Trot family, who are struggling to get by since the horrible Giant Glaikitguts moved in to a castle in the sky and started charging the residents exorbitant rent, collected by his evil debt collector Fleshcreep. To try and make some much-needed money, the Trots decide to sell their beloved cow Buttercup, but when Jock returns with a bag of beans instead of a bag of gold, they’re in for a big surprise… and a giant adventure.
The Glasgow Pavilion is one of Glasgow’s oldest theatres, first producing a pantomime in 1920, so it’s no surprise that Jock and the Beanstalk is a classic, traditional panto, full of all the tropes and gags you’d expect. It’s bright, bold, and vibrant, and the audience certainly seemed appreciative of the whole spectacle.
Unfortunately, for us, this production falls a little flat. There is very little physical set, with digital screens instead providing the backdrops, and only a few props like tables and chairs to fill out the stage. Even the titular beanstalk only actually appears in person for a few seconds at the end of Act 1. References feel dated (we doubt any of the children in the audience know who Fran and Anna were, and probably a fair few of the adults wouldn’t either) and many of the segments feel low energy and almost like the principal cast are going through the motions rather than really living the scenes. This is particularly apparent when the very enthusiastic, energetic ensemble join the principals on stage for musical numbers – the ensemble absolutely upstage the principals every time, despite the disappointing use of pre-recorded ensemble vocals.
Highlights come in the form of Jack Jester’s Fleshcreep opening Act 2 with a cockroach-infested rendition of Lady Gaga’s ‘Abracadabra’ and Craig Glover as Dame Tina recounting her showgirl days with a reworking of ‘Copacabana’. Glover, in particular, is a delight throughout – Dame Tina is bold and bawdy, and boasts a very impressive singing voice. Jennifer Neil as Jill handles ‘Golden’ from KPop Demon Hunters admirably, but there isn’t much for her to do character-wise throughout, which is a fate that also befalls Jock (Scott Fletcher). Fletcher sings wonderfully, but barely features in the story despite being the titular character.
The plot is pushed aside in favour of shoehorning in classic panto scenes featuring Liam Dolan’s Jimmy and Grado and Stephen Purdon as King Clanky and Mayor Manky respectively. These scenes have glimmers of brilliance, but often run too long and start to feel stale. We know these three are Pavilion panto favourites, but somehow these segments don’t work the way they should and we often found ourselves waiting for the story to move on.
It certainly seems to be a hit with the children in the audience, who were enthusiastically shouting out and joining in with all the classic panto lines, but we feel that some more substance is needed to make this a truly engaging night for the whole family.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray
Jock and the Beanstalk plays at Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre until 11 January, with further info here.