Jack and the Beanstalk at King’s Head Theatre Review
Jack and the Beanstalk at King’s Head Theatre. Photo by Charlie Flint
Written by Greta for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
I am sitting in the last row of the King’s Head Theatre in Islington, contemplating - with a mixture of fondness and fear - the four classes of children screaming and jumping all around me. We’re all here to watch Jack and the Beanstalk (the family-friendly version), and energies are running incredibly high for a Tuesday morning.
The electric atmosphere says a lot already about pantomime as an accessible form of theatre that children are invited to participate in every holiday season, shining in their target-audience spotlight. They are the trend-setters here – and, oh my, do they enjoy it! My school days are behind me, but I still remember the thrill and anticipation before a school trip to the theatre, especially when the venue turns out to be so festive and welcoming.
The story starts with young Jack (Elliott Baker-Costello), and his mum Dame Trott (Victoria Scone), who own an ice cream shop parlour called the Pink Coney Club. The self-absorbed and power greedy Nightshade (Joseph Lukehurst) collects exorbitant taxes from the villagers of Islington on behalf of the terrifying giant in the sky. I found Pavanveer Sagoo especially enjoyable in their role as Pat the Cow, a glamorous bovine influencer, delivering perfectly paced, sassy punchlines. Priscille Grace and Mia Ito Smith also delivered excellent supporting performances as Jill and Fairy Fullobeans.
Jack and the Beanstalk is a panto tale about believing in oneself and overcoming injustice; a couple of delightful digs at Nigel Farage and the Reform Party sit side by side with the classic panto tropes involving audience participation. Recent hit songs like APT and Die with a Smile (Bruno Mars supremacy) find their place alongside older goldies such as Sweet Caroline and Greased Lightning (complete with a full Grease-inspired choreography). There truly is something for each generation to enjoy, from very current references to Traitors, the infamous clip from the Coldplay concert and Labubus, to enjoyable nods to Lord of the Rings and Evita. K-Pop Demon Hunters, the most-watched original movie in Netflix history, looms large behind it all, culminating in a liberating version of the song "Golden"; most of the children spontaneously break into song and dance, performing their hearts out; a small minority of them - equally endearing - cover their faces with their hands and wait, in mock annoyance, for it to be over.
The production team knows their audience and caters for them at every turn. The lighting design and some plot points reference Wicked - and which 2025 panto wouldn't? The sound design adds clown-like, cartoonish sound effects to the character’s physical comedy, for a dash of fun fair vibe. A dance off between Jack and Nightshade electrifies the kids, much to Baker-Costello's acrobatics’ credit. The dancing continues in the second half with a ballet-Charleston-waltz extravaganza performed with comedic skill by Scone and Lukehurst (and featuring balloons). A personal favourite was the beautiful 3-part harmony rendition of Make Your Own Kind of Music performed by Ito Smith, Grace, and Baker-Costello.
Scone does a great job out of entertaining the children and keeping them hooked all the way through; her dazzling costumes (Eve Oakley) and wigs (Studio Loz) are cheeky and inventive, but even funnier is her ongoing flirt with a member of the audience (in our case, one of the children's teachers), which has older and younger audiences alike giggling and squirming. I won’t spoil the takedown of the villain, but I will say it features a trend very popular among children that made my drama teacher’s boots shake.
This production might be compact in cast size and set, but it still packs a punch. I would have appreciated more choreography and choral numbers, and I found a couple of plot points uneasy - perhaps the result of an adaptation from the adult version gone astray? These few concerns aside, Jack and the Beanstalk has plenty of rizz; for maximum enjoyment, brush up on your knowledge on current slang, trends and memes - and keep the children away from sugar treats beforehand!
Plays at King’s Head Theatre until 4 January 2026.
★ ★ ★ ★
