REVIEW | Jack and the Beanstalk Online, Belgrade Theatre
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
BELGRADE THEATRE, COVENTRY
★★★★★
This would have been my fifth year enjoying a pantomime in the Belgrade Theatre. Year after year I am eager to spend my festive season enjoying one of their stellar productions and it doesn’t seem 5 minutes we were watching their 2019 production of ‘Puss in Boots‘. Only now we have a pandemic to contend with and to ensure that their audiences don’t miss out on what has become a tradition for many over the years. They’ve dug deep to make it work with an online production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Jack and the Beanstalk still has all of the foundations for a “traditional” pantomime, including the iconic duo Iain Lauchlan and Craig Hollingsworth. This iconic duo are a firm favourites of the Coventry pantomime every year. The result of 3 weeks of work in a small TV studio is a sublime, jam-packed pantomime that will be loved by people of all ages.
The show starts and ends with an empty Belgrade auditorium, set out with the socially distanced seating. It was emotional watching Lauchlan and Hollingsworth take in that empty space and unravel a dazzling panto before our very eyes. The elephant in the room, COVID-19 is topic of many of the gags, I don’t think they’ll be the only ones running productions this Christmas. The gags are not inappropriate and have been well thought out to provide a little humour in such uncertain times for everyone. Some of the references include the high R (rubbish) number of the fictional village of Pricky Bottom in which the story is set in and Daisy the Cow got the memo about the 2m rule! The creativity to deliver this has been well executed!
The cast in this production are reduced, with Lauchlan and Hollingsworth launching themselves into 3 different roles each. Thanks to the magic of editing this was made possible and added to the humour as they explored new personalities in their different characteristics. Hollingsworth taking on the more “villain” role was very enjoyable. Although it’s the Dame and Simon characters that has made them a household Belgrade Theatre name. Their onstage chemistry is still very clear, excellent and satisfying to watch, if even through a TV screen.
They do have great support in Morna Macpherson as Jack, Arina Ii Princess Alyssa, Trish Adudu as Mrs Blunderbore, as well as a energetic children’s ensemble to really bring the pantomime to life. All of the support definitely helped to make the pantomime more realistic in its storytelling.
The quality of this production has worked in its favour for sure and I genuinely believe there’s a life for this style of pantomime for audiences in the future. It’s a fantastic tool for making theatre more accessible! Mark Walters’ set and costumes are just as gorgeous on-screen as they are in life, giving a flavour for new audiences of what they can expect from a live pantomime at the Belgrade Theatre in the future. There’s some spectacular play with close-ups and effects that add to the magic that pantomime is known for.
Read More: Interview with Craig Hollingsworth about the Jack and the Beanstalk online pantomime!
Iain Lauchlan and director Paul Gibson have took a real risk in creating this pantomime, but they have delivered an unforgettable Christmas experience for people to enjoy. Although the audience participation noise is lost, what is made up for it is the magic of theatre being available right to the screen of your home. It’s a great alternative this festive period and I would recommend it to everyone! It really made me appreciate what pantomime is all about, and you bet I’m excited to get back to the theatre for their 2021 production!
Jack and the Beanstalk at Belgrade Theatre Coventry is available to stream online until 31 December