Review: Yankl and The Beanstalk, Pleasance Theatre

For all you “silly little socialists” out there, Yankl and The Beanstalk is an anarchic Yiddish twist on the classic fairytale. It’s a quirky, queer coming of age story that both delights and dazes its “unicorns” (audience). 

The charming Pleasance Theatre plays host to Tamara Micner’s reimagined Bar Mitzvah. In-the-round, tiered table seating is the perfect setting for audience interaction as The Pickle Fairy (Demii Lee Walker) sets the pantomime’s unorthodox tone with a narrated DJ set. Walker ably suits her hyper-woman role, although her frenzied energy sometimes feels too childish for an adult-aimed panto. 

The expected stock characters appear; Yankl, our endearing pre-teen protagonist (Nay Oliver Murphy), his rebellious comrade Milly (Romy Ben-Hur), their corrupt boss Lady Mayfair (Mai Weisz) and Yankl’s superbly salacious mother Reyzl (Guy Woolf). 

In an 1890s Brick Lane pickle factory, Yankl and Milly rail against their exploitation by evil manager and social climber Lady Mayfair. They seek the right to better working conditions and to express their Yiddish identities. Their proposed strike threatens to derail Yankl’s Bar Mitzvah, leaving our hero torn between tradition and revolution. 

Murphy plays Yankl with loveable whimsy and has an instant rapport with his lively audience. The essential call and response sees us holler “Don’t get in a pickle Yankl!” But of course, he does – repeatedly. His quest for manhood is hilariously explored in his ‘walk of shame’; a clear nod to Monty Python’s ‘Ministry of Silly Walks’. 

Yankl’s wonderful buoyancy is unfortunately contrasted by his downbeat counterpart Milly. Though Ben-Hur has a rousing Yiddish-sung guitar solo, the character’s petulance is one dimensional and a block to the narrative drive. Their duo scenes tend to drag and Yankl is better served by more compelling characters. 

The grandiose Lady Mayfair is a good foil to the duo, with both her haughty laugh and ruched black dress having a Victorian gothic flavour. Micner’s take on the ‘Oh, no you can’t’ trope sees Milly clash with Lady Mayfair’s English-only policy, protesting “Oy, yo ikh ken!” (“Oh yes, I can!” [speaking Yiddish]). Perhaps Milly’s strive for equality might be simplified by focusing solely on the suppression of Yiddish culture. Delving into the past of its attempted erasure would afford the panto further historical depth. 

History aside, Jewish humour is in full force and best showcased by standout Reyzl. Woolf’s Yiddish dame is a masterclass in working the crowd and we revelled in her various “Freudian clits”. Savage but not cruel, Woolf’s raunchy improv peppers his scenes as he weaves through the cabaret tables, preying upon new lovers. Even M&S isn’t spared as Rezyl renames the store “S&M” because “the Yiddish read right to left”. 

More laughs with Reyzl would buoy latter scenes where the production finds itself in a pickle. A focus on exposition leaves a rushed climax, and a play on the gameshow ‘Catchphrase’ is a less successful attempt at audience participation. Director Laura Wohlwend does, however, make good use of the theatre’s many balconies and gangways in a chase sequence, resulting in a pantomime-prescribed happy ending. 

The denouement itself is heart-warmingly satisfying as we are invited into Yankl’s Bar Mitzvah celebrations. For non-Jewish viewers like myself, it was a real treat as everyone united in traditional song. All the production’s numbers are sung in Yiddish and yet I never felt excluded – especially as the show’s flyer offered a Yiddish glossary and lyrics. 

Leaving the show with newfound ‘Yiddishisms’, I felt a warm sense of inclusivity, even if Yankl’s beanstalk could have used some trimming. Honing a central social message would allow for a punchier panto, but there is plenty of magic left in those beans.   

Written by: Tamara Micner
Directed by: Laura Wohlwend
Produced by: Jess Donn
Composed by: Emily Rose Simons
Lighting Design by: Laurel Marks
Yiddish Consultant: Helen Beer

Yankl and The Beanstalk plays at Pleasance Theatre until Saturday 22 March.