Jack And The Beanstalk at Worcester Swan Theatre: Review

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It’s that time of year again. Audiences are gathering all over the country to be entertained by corny jokes, men dressed as women and cheesy music. You’ve guessed it, it’s panto. And Worcester Repertory Company are putting on an absolute delight of a show at Worcester Swan Theatre as always. From Monday 4^th December 2023 to Sunday 7^th January 2024, the cast assemble for an upbeat, energetic performance full of family fun.

Jack And The Beanstalk at Worcester Swan Theatre: The Story

As the lights dim at the start of the show, we are introduced to the surprisingly scary Fleshcreep. His boss, the giant, is demanding more rent from the villagers and Fleshcreep is there to make sure he gets it. But fear not, Fairy Stringbean is there to reassure the audience that she won’t let anybody come to harm.

Down in the village, Jack is determined to save his friends – and win the hand in marriage of his beloved Jill. Completing the Trot family line-up are brother Silly Billy and fabulous Dame Dotty. When the Trot family are struggling to pay the rent, the difficult decision is made to take their beloved cow Buttercup to market. She is purchased by Fleshcreep who is in disguise and magically turns the five gold coins he pays for the cow into beans.

When Dame Trot realises that the cow has been exchanged for beans, she throws them out of the window. The giant inflatable beanstalk appears overnight and in the second half, it’s time for Jack to visit the land of the giants. He is accompanied on his journey by Dame Trot and Silly Billy, Jill has already been captured by Fleshcreep and Buttercup the cow is awaiting her fate in the giant’s kitchen.

As predicted, Jack saves the day with the help of his family. They rescue Jill and Buttercup and return to the village as heroes. My only criticism is that there was a great opportunity to utilise the song “Build Me Up Buttercup” at this point but it was sadly lacking. What a travesty!

In a hilarious twist at the end, Fairy Stringbean uses her magic to turn Fleshcreep good, much to the delight of the audience.

Jack And The Beanstalk at Worcester Swan Theatre: The Cast and Crew

• Ian Good, a bit of a legend in these parts, is taking part in his 48th pantomime as both Dame Dotty Trot and the Director.
• Nathan Blythe who appeared as Buttons in Cinderella 2022 returns as Silly Billy.
• James Hastings joins the team as the hero Jack.
• Aimée Cupper plays Jack’s beloved Jill.
• Terrelle Kay is the magical Fairy Stringbean.
• Darryn Watkins puts on a stellar performance as the Giant’s henchman Fleshcreep. He was an excellent baddie, perfectly combining humour and being a bit scary.
• Dancers: The cast is completed by a fantastic group of adults, teens and children as the ensemble. I am always impressed with Worcester’s choreography and how cohesive the ensemble are with the rest of the cast.

Jack And The Beanstalk at Worcester Swan Theatre: The Verdict

In case you hadn’t already picked up on this, we all had a fantastic evening at Jack And The Beanstalk at Worcester Swan Theatre. As always, they offer the ideal combination of jokes for adults and children. Audience participation from an unwilling victim was present as ever.

I always find pantomimes to be quite lengthy given that young children often attend. Whilst Jack and the Beanstalk was typically long, the upbeat music kept everybody engaged. The audience were required to shout in the first half and sing in the second half which my girls absolutely loved. There were a couple of younger children sitting in front of us as well. They seemed equally excited at the interaction with the cast.

I really have no criticism of Jack and the Beanstalk except for the obvious lack of Build Me Up Buttercup. We always admire the cast for remaining so high-energy throughout such a lengthy performance. Especially as a few of them are barely off the stage. I highly recommend Worcester Swan Theatre pantomime as a family Christmas tradition. We have always been to the one at Malvern Theatres as it’s closer for us, but in future we’ll definitely be doing both.

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