Jack and the Beanstalk at Portobello Town Hall, Edinburgh Review
Written by David for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Before Jack and the Beanstalk at the Festival Theatre can claim a pantomime monopoly in Scotland’s capital, boos and hisses roar from Portobello, where Stage Door Entertainment’s ‘Porty Panto’ returns for its third consecutive year with its latest incarnation: Beauty and the Beast. Written and directed by Mark Kydd and staged within the glorious Portobello Town Hall, this ‘Porty Panto’ offers a sufficiently magical escape from dreich winter weather.
Writer-director Mark Kydd’s paradigmatic take on the eighteenth century tale is assured in its charming, ‘classic’ appeal, but offers little freshness apart from a scattering of Scottish slang and humour, alongside the expected appearance of 2025’s top songs clunkily poking through the script. Where he critically missteps is his failure to allow local culture and references space to breathe; when the few (and dated) references to local goings-on are made by cast members, they are subdued, rushed over, and lost within the action. It’s a foundational writing and directorial error that leaves the affectionate term ‘Porty Panto’ feeling empty.
The rose of the pantomime is its stellar cast, who take the script’s shortcomings in their stride, and drive the piece with an exuding spirit. Sarah Alexandra Brown’s Bella is a delightful heroine, whose resolute sentimentality and kindness contrasts sharply with the gruff Beast (Grant Maciver). Brown’s crystal-clear vocals are the lynchpin of the show — an attribute which reaches a climax upon the act one finale, when Brown performs a rendition of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’. While both Brown and Maciver are worthy of praise, they are often offstage for extended periods of time, compromising the very title of the pantomime.
Mother and son comic duo Tattie and Bonnie Scone, played by Ross Jamieson and Alec Westwood, are the source of hilarity and fun. The duo’s comic timing may miss the mark now and then, but with Jamieson’s entrances to the sound of the audience shouting “tattie hi” and Westwood’s attempt at scootering on and off stage, they're a duo that you can’t help but smile at. Equally, the evil Queen of Winter, Beira (Christine Mills) and Magic Fairy, Will-O’ (Erin Robertson), are a pair that display strong, assured performances with exceptional vocals; Mills’ performance of ‘I Am What I Am’ is hard to forget. The adult cast are also supported exceptionally by a junior cast who execute Aidan O’ Brien’s steadfast choreography with infectious charisma.
With shaky writing, recorded music, and sometimes static movement, it’s by no means a trailblazing pantomime, but it's one that carries a lot of heart, and it’s rather charming at that.
Plays until 28 December
★★★
