Jack and the Beanstalk, The Cube at Corby Review
Written by Hollie for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Fee fi fo fun! This year’s festive pantomime from Little Wolf Entertainment at the Core at Corby Cube is one of the best pantomimes I have ever seen! Competing with the bright lights of Leicester and Northampton, this production really gives other venues and pantomimes a run for its money!
Money is the problem at the heart of this traditional show, with twins Jack, played by Joshua Price, and Simon, played by Oliver Halford, and their mother Helga Skelter, played by Morgan Philpott, forming the Trott family, who own the Great Corby Fun Fair. However, the family are struggling for money and are forced into selling their Cow Pat. No Corby keep up, not a cow pat but their cow named Pat!
Morgan’s portrayal of the classic pantomime dame is natural and authentic and he shares his dry sense of humour with the adults in the audience. It feels like being a pantomime dame is part of his personality as he portrays his character without any bad jokes.
It wouldn’t be a pantomime without a romantic love story and this is provided by Daisy Ward as Jillian Naise, Jack’s potential love interest. Their ‘will they won’t they’ tale provides the audience with lots of hilarious moments.
This performance of Jack and the Beanstalk provides a modernised adaptation to the traditional tale and the family fun fair provides a spectacular backdrop for this show. The audience who were wearing Christmas jumpers, elf hats and tinsel headbands participated in the various ‘boos’ and ‘he’s behind you’ calls needed to make this a fabulous family production.
Joseph Beach as Walter Waltzer the baddie reminds you of the Childcatcher, and his rendition of Oasis’ ‘Don’t look back in anger’ was one of my favourite moments of the evening. Modern music was included throughout, including; ‘It’s a beautiful day’ and ‘Life is a rollercoaster’ and with that, choreographer Jessie Elan provides imaginative choreography.
Magic and sparkle are dusted over this show with the bright and colourful costumes designed and created by Emma Waugh as Head of Costume. The quality of the costumes and their quirky details are better than the pantomimes I have seen in London!
The artistic and visually amazing scenery and splendid props mean that this isn’t just any old pantomime where the adults already know what happens and the children have a great time. Everyone has a great time at this panto as it’s extremely clever with its Alexa, Netflix and Dumbledore references!
There are also many local references relating to Corby’s population and history, and that makes the production feel personal and cleverly thought through. This show felt worlds away from traditional pantomimes as there weren’t any cliches or bad jokes. It is an imaginative retelling and provides entertainment for everyone.
It was a shame the auditorium wasn’t full this evening as this production deserves a much bigger audience! I look forward to seeing next year’s production Beauty and the Beast!
Corby Core’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk continues at Corby’s Cube until Sunday 29th December 2024.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
