Review: Jack and the Beanstalk, Kings Head Theatre

The Kings Head Theatre is growing an annual family pantomime tradition as well as a magic beanstalk in their main studio space this year with Jack and the Beanstalk, their second panto written and directed by Andrew Pollard. Adults only can enjoy a wilder ride on the same beanstalk in their own version of the family show programmed throughout the festive run. 

This family show is packed with a seasonally costumed young audience, cool parents or carers, grand folk and friends, making it clear that the intergenerational vibe in Islington is well served here. The three-sided studio stage is bare, with a back walled semi-circular silver curve which set designer Jake Evans cleverly uses as a proscenium arch frame to acknowledge traditional form, and a ruched cabaret curtain to irreverently glitz it up. The audience are bathed in green light and pink clouds adorn a blue sky, and this immersive intimate version already feels different, yet familiar. On-trend visual references to Wicked are never far away, especially with Alex Lewer’s ever intuitive lighting design.

It may feel intimate and the form demands high energy performances to tell the fairy tale story of Jack reset in a dairy. The casting is everything and this production team got the full fat cream. Each character is realised to represent from north to south with a bovinary Pat the Cow (Pavenveer Sagoo) played with influencer wit and physical precision, Fairy Fullobeans (Mia Ito Smith) doing a great job musically and delivering her songs with power and positivity, whilst Jack Trott (Elliot Baker-Costello) matches her musically with his energetic acrobatic presence balancing the deadpan delivery of Jill (Priscille Grace). Some delicious badness from Nightshade (Joseph Lukehurst), who also delivers well vocally. 

The script is ripe for improvised audience interaction and this is where Dame Trott (Victoria Scone) is outstanding. She works an audience with ease and twinkle. Dame Trott’s wigs (Studio Loz) are wonderful and compliment the Pink Coney Club Dairy owners’ many lavish looks (Eve Oakley). Jack in short shorts, Pat’s pink udder bum bag and Fleshcreep’s hint of doublet and hose were all hot garb favourites.

Enter fast-paced frolics, innuendo Dad jokes, borderline filth, slapstick, show tunes, West End theatre banter, cultural references, political and social justice, trend punchlines, camp and sparkly silliness, a musical score that somehow blends brilliant rewrites of legendary 70’s epics with KPop Demon Hunters via queer anthems and Yackety Sax. References to labubu’s sit happily with this season’s Traitors and Strictly. Pollard expertly frames this within a tightly established panto structure and all the slapstick of a Harlequinade is still there. There really is something for all the family. The call and response was used sparingly and never has ‘behind you’ felt so joyful – oh yes it was!  

The show really kicks in during Act Two. With no local ballet school, the audience are treated instead to a balloon ballet duet between Dame Trott and Fleshcreep. The choreography (Emily Golding-Ellis), comedy timing and agile execution is sublime. The Giant reveal is effective with a neat twist that prequels full throttle participatory bean chaos. The whole company is a tight ensemble and takes the final walkdown triumphantly after over two hours of high octane playing. This is not a tired panto with worn sets and dated material. The vision is a fun, fresh, well-crafted musical adventure to inclusively invite all generations to groan at the familiar and laugh at the current. I bet the adult version slays.

Written and directed by By Andrew Pollard
Set Design by Jake Evans
Lighting Design by Alex Lewer
Costume Design by Eve Oakley
Musical Supervisor: Ben Barrow
Musical Director: Jordan Paul Clarke
Sound design by Mathew Giles
Choreography by Emily Golding-Ellis
Produced by King’s Head Theatre Productions & James Quaife Productions

Jack and the Beanstalk plays at King’s Head Theatre until Sunday 4 January.