Don’t you love it when someone takes an old recipe, keeps  the tastiest ingredients, then shakes them up by adding a new spice to the mix?  Well if you do, York Theatre Royal’s Pantomime has done just that. It is filled with fresh ideas but has all the old favourites too!

By Angie Millard

Photos by S R Taylor Photography

The talented cast are buzzing with energy and excitement and with two shows on most days, they’re going to need it. The writer Paul Hendy has ditched the dark opening where we are introduced to the battle of the magic forces of good and evil, in favour of an appearance of the Good Fairy, Sugarsnap ( Nina Wadia) who lays down the ground rules and builds the opening set.

It seems that a giant in Cloudland above the village of Giggleswick is changing the weather in a most environmentally unfriendly way, assisted by his henchman Luke Backinanger (James Mackenzie) who is out for revenge as he has been dropped from a boy band. All very 2023 but it works and Mackenzie’s lithe mobility is a pleasure to watch. 

The plot gives rise to some novel innovations. Dame Trott’s dairy is failing so she invents a cow wash in which the characters, led by Dave, the talking cow (Anna Soden) dance around to yes, you guessed it, the music of car wash and a dog pampering parlour. The latter enables Dame Trott (Robin Simpson) to do an amazingly funny routine with Zeus, a skilfully trained dog who refuses to comply and forces Simpson to go through his paces. The business with the tunnel is wonderfully comic.

All good comedy business is carefully timed and the dame is supported by Jack (Mia Overfield) and Billy (Matthew Curnier) perfectly. This is particularly evident when Simpson gets trapped in The Climate Changing Machine and a novel slapstick routine occurs linked to the music they choose. If I say ‘Raindrops are Falling on my Head’, you’ll get the idea. Elsewhere, they have also incorporated the picture cart used by Simpson in previous pantos but this time he ingeniously tells a story with a doggie theme.

Mia Oldfield is a strong principal Boy and leaving out a girlfriend from the story enables her to make a good double act with Curnier. He is particularly energetic and plays the audience superbly. His climb into a bouncing ball/tomato was masterful.

Fairy Sugarsnap and Luke Backinanger hold the plot together as she struggles to defeat his evil plans and the final creation of a boyband of the four leading characters is particularly well observed.

The show is filled with puns both witty and corny. The sets and costumes are spectacular and assisted by lighting effects; the beanstalk is magical. But I feel I must pay tribute to the people who produced the puppetry. We see the Ogre and his teenage son who move and speak. We also are treated to some marvellous creations most noteworthy being the ‘Elton John lounging on his piano’ inspiration.

This panto may have dumped a few old traditions but its freshness and cleverness more than compensates. The director, Juliet Forster, is to be congratulated.

There was an anarchic sense of fun and when the chief characters turned on the audience with huge water pistols, I felt the whole place erupt. That is surely what pantomime is all about?

One criticism however, I really missed the pantomime cow and although Anna Soden was wonderfully entertaining, I longed for the old Daisy of my childhood to have a soft shoe shuffle with Dame Trott.

Don’t miss this seasonal delight and, if you are tired of the old formulas, check out the rebirth at York Theatre Royal.

Jack and the Beanstalk is playing at York Theatre Royal from 9 December 2023 to 7 January 2024.

Director – Juliet Forster

Choreography – Hayley del Harrison

Set Designers – Helga Wood, Michelle Mardon

Costume designers – Ella Neal ,Emma Chamberlain

Dames Costumes – Micheal J. Bachelor, Hazel Fall

Lighting Designer – Alexandra Stafford

Sound Designer – Tom Smith

Musical Director – Robert Louden