Jack and the Beanstalk – Sunderland Empire
17th December 2024
Invited| Review by Stephen Stokoe
Last, but certainly not least, I was delighted to attend the press night of Sunderland Empire’s annual pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. The auditorium was packed to the rafters with excited kids of all ages and the scene was set with a magnificent show cloth and a brightly lit proscenium arch adored with a beautiful outline of the magnificent tower and building of the Empire itself which added a very nice local feel.
Following centuries old pantomime tradition, the action started with a fairy and villain altercation as Fleshcreep (Richard Meek) took to the stage and goaded the audience to boo him. The audience duly obliged and the stage was set for a battle royal between kindly but unadventurous Jack Trott (Matthew Wolfenden) and the mighty BMG (Big Macken Giant) voiced by Anthony Willams in the sky.
To help Jack in his fight against the forces of evil is The Vegetable Fairy (Millie Readshaw) who trades the most groansome vegetable puns with Fleshcreep throughout. Puns are what the adults go to pantomime for and they were not disappointed in this production in any way. Credit has to go to the writers Chris Fearn with adaptations by Tom Whalley who peppered the script with local references to make everyone feel at home.
Speaking of Mr Whalley, he returns for the fifth consecutive year in the comic character, this time named Silly Simon. Whalley always puts in a shift with endearing characters, gurning faces as he trots out the most groan-worthy dad jokes and his timing is impeccable as always. He provides the perfect prat for the dame (Miss Rory) to bounce off and abuse.
Miss Rory’s dairy owner Dame Rorina Trott is an absolute delight with nods and winks to the audience in general and one unfortunate in particular. The shackles seem to have been cast off this year as she is allowed to indulge in some of the more caustic and adult elements of her character which makes her the biggest name in stand up drag in the North East. Her relationship with Whalley over the last five years feeds into the script and adds a familiar dimension which is a joy to watch and really makes the audience feel part of the family at The Sunderland Empire.
The script turns the usual simpering princess, hero Jack dynamic on its head in this script. Princess Jill (Emma Crossley) is the fearless explorer with Jack preferring to stay on the dairy with his beloved cow, Daisy. The script also does not dwell on any lovey dovey fondness and focusses on the laughs and banter between the principals and, again, praise should be given to the writers for this.
That said, I did feel that the absence of a slop scene or some traditional set pieces was missing this evening. Instead there was, admittedly impressive, 3D sequences in the second half which introduced the giant and supplied the stalking presence in the ubiquitous ghost scene. There is a reason that this element is so popular and it proves such this evening with the kids screaming the lungs out to warn the hapless panto folk what was, inevitably, behind them.
The choreography (Chris Whittaker with Dance Captain Samuel Ashall) was outstanding throughout the production. The opening village scene in Mackemland was particularly on point (or should that be en pointe) with some noticeable attention to detail made to filling the space. The ensemble children from The Kathleen David Stage School. SK School of Performing Arts and The Worx Academy have all worked extremely hard to bring the choreography to life.
The musical choices by musical director (Richard Baker) fitted seamlessly into the story and, along with his talent on keys, his band with Paul Donnelly on bass and local legend Malcolm Dick on drums, added excellent accompaniment to the action.
The production values are excellent with an impressively visual set (Ian Wilson, Jon Harris, Jason Bishop) and some creative lighting designed by Neil Dolman and operated by Mike Houlden.
I am going to share my star of the show this evening between three people but only two characters. Daisy, the cow is probably shared between several members of the ensemble and she gets two stars from me and to Millie Readshaw as the Vegetable Fairy who manages to pull off the impossible by being simultaneously a sparkly, twinkly fairy and a feisty and gobby, no nonsense hip mystical.
Jack and the Beanstalk is a fabulous production and is not to be missed. Join Emmerdale hunk Matthew Wolfenden, local leg ends Miss Rory and Tom Whalley, and the rest of the cast on an adventure to take you soaring high above the clouds of Mackemland.
Jack and the Beanstalk runs at the Sunderland Empire until Sunday 5th January 2025.