Jack and The Beanstalk at Lichfield Garrick Theatre Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Lindsay Burton
Pantomime! It’s the pantomime! The one and only Lichfield Garrick Pantomime! Back again and filled with all the thrills, water guns and laugh out loud moments – and there were plenty – to make a stunning performance for this year’s production.
We meet the funny Fairy Sugarsnap (Gill Jordan) who ensured that the audience were all cheering wildly. Based loosely on the traditional tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack Trott (Becky Sanneh), her brother Billy Trott (Ben Thornton), their mother Dame Trott (Sam Rabone) and trusty talking cow Dave (Clarice Julianna) and the rest of the village are all suffering at the hands of Luke Backinanger (Joe Feeney) and the elusive Nigel the giant who lived in the clouds.
With the help of Fairy Sugarsnap, Jack Trott has to save the day and sets off to stop Luke Backinanger from destroying the climate and their beautiful village with many obstacles on their way. Dave the talking cow is very much part of the family and Jack has to save him from becoming the giant’s lunch!! Sam Rabone, together with all her stunning and hilariously detailed outfits, makes for a quality Dame and has the audience in absolute stitches every time she makes an appearance on stage! Ben Thornton and Becky Sanneh both fit their roles like a glove with lovely vocals from Becky even when she is rudely interrupted by her mother, the lovely Dame! Gill Jordan who plays Fairy Sugarsnap is well known for her character Doreen Tipton in Black Country and blew my mind when she broke out in some Eminem!
That was incredibly cool! My personal favourite character, Luke Backinanger, played by Joe Feeney made a brilliant villain! With his evil cackle and elusive giant, Nigel, I thoroughly enjoyed his performance! The whole cast have a lovely chemistry on stage which always brings that special something to a production like this! Accompanied by a highly talented ensemble, stunning costumes from Head of Wardrobe Jenny Lowe and highly detailed and stunning set thanks to Helga Wood and Michelle Marden, the story comes to life to create a wonderfully feel good production. Big shout out to Cherry the dog for the appearance and exceptional timing too!
This production is currently on at Lichfield Garrick and will run until the 12th January 2025. Tickets start from £15 and can be purchased from https://www.lichfieldgarrick.com/events/jack-the-beanstalk-2024-pantomime#dates-and-times. I give this production 5/5 – it had everything one would normally see in a Panto but I felt that some of the tricks and scenes were better than I have ever seen before. A wonderful way to kick start the festive season, tickets would also make a fabulous gift for anyone this year! This is suitable for all ages and families would not be making a mistake to add the Garrick’s Panto to their annual Christmas traditions! Please check the website for details on the relaxed performance (1st December) and their BSL (British Sign Language) performances (19th December and 5th January.
Rating: 5/5