★★★★★
Flying cars, giant beanstalks and a generous sprinkling of magic and humour!
Opera House Manchester is back with its annual pantomime. This year’s festive serving is Jack and the Beanstalk, once again starring comedians Jason Manford and Ben Nickless and theatre star Samara Casteallo, alongside drag queen Myra Dubois and West End star Emma Williams. Ahead of the show, we interviewed Nickless and Williams at a press event.
This story is a twist on the classic tale of a boy named Jack (Manford) who trades his cow for ‘magic beans’ as he and his brother, Silly Simon (Nickless), race to save Princess Jill (Williams) from the evil giant and his maniacal and devilishly stylish wife, Mrs Blunderbore (Dubois), with assistance from the magical Spirit of the Beans (Casteallo) and an enormous beanstalk.
The production value and grandeur of this pantomime are truly stupendous! If you want a night of never-ending laughter with two amazing comedians, a night of sing-song fun filled with pop-culture references and cheesy dad puns, or a night of dazzling spectacle as beanstalks grow, cars fly, giants roam and cows dance, among gorgeous lighting, projection, puppetry, pyrotechnics and a flawlessly magical storybook set design… This is the panto for you.
There’s something about pantomime that just transports you back to being a kid, from the audience participation and the breaking of the fourth wall to the fun costumes and the smell of sweets and popcorn.
However, this show proved that pantomime is for the whole family. The kids seemed enamoured by a mixture of funny puppets, shout-along routines, silly antics (with a quick shoutout to the front row members who may have gotten a little wet in one of the pranks!), some of the cheesiest puns and literalisations I’ve heard in years, and a variety of effects with snow and fire.
As an adult, however, it was surprising how well-catered the show was to include us all, whether it be talking about the differences between today’s and Jason’s generations, rhymes that should clearly end with expletives, a few sneaky adult jokes here and there, and a range of pop-culture references that only they would understand; between the impressions of Dolly Parton, Ozzy Osborne and King Charles, to the digs at fellow celebrities and has-BEANS.
As Ben predicted in our interview, there is always something that is bound to go wrong in pantomime, but it is the way that the crew play off of these mistakes or keep it going that make it particularly enjoyable.
On numerous occasions, there were hilarious slip-ups that had the audience howling with laughter, whether it be Myra’s break in character after getting a tongue twister wrong, Jason breaking his trombone and having to play it in pieces before accidentally spitting in his own eye, cast-members trying not to laugh at each other, or slapstick antics as the crew sang – and boy, I didn’t know Jason could sing like that!
I especially appreciated the variety in songs that included elements of Into the Woods’ ‘There are Giants in the Sky’, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’s ‘Any Dream Will Do’, Silly Simon’s song about the boroughs of Manchester, typical panto numbers such as ‘If I Weren’t on the Farm’, and a villainous parody of Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’.
The show opened with fire and an enchanting introduction to some of the characters and the starry kingdom of the giant, and ended in a sing-along where they invited a few children onstage to choose animals for ‘Old McDonald’.
My only criticisms would stem (sorry!) from an occasional joke segment, which occurred between the main plot lasting a little longer than expected.
However, the delivery of jokes, the hilarious mistakes, and the sheer talent of the comedians (in addition to the fact they and the audience were visibly having so much fun), easily overwrote any slowing of the overall plot, and cleverly hid the changes in sets and costumes, whilst also acting as an entertaining way for the cast to showcase their talents in a light-hearted comedy show, that likely changes and adapts as more mistakes or ad-libbing come along each performance.
Jack and the Beanstalk is the best pantomime or comedy experience I have had in years. It’s the perfect Christmas time outing, filled with so much family fun!
Jack and the Beanstalk runs at Opera House Manchester until December 31.
Photo: Copyright Phil Tragen
JADAR 