Jack and the Beanstalk at Mayflower, Southampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Maddie Reynolds
The Mayflower, Southampton always has plenty of parking nearby as there are various car parks and off street parking.
I was very excited to have tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk as I am a big fan of Diversity and didn’t manage to see them in Snow White last year. This is their second year at panto in Southampton, with Ashley Banjo playing one of the lead roles and the others playing his siblings. I love pantomime and always go and see a few each year. The foyer was beautifully decorated as was the theatre and we had a great view of the stage.
The staging was sensational and right from the start we knew this was going to set the scene for a wonderful evening. Silly Simon played by Kev Orkian was fantastic not only in his role but including the audience at all times and creating non stop laughter throughout the show. In the second half he engaged well with the children that they brought on to the stage, ensuring they were well looked after.
When dancing Kev was able to keep up with Diversity and his natural ability to perform especially in the comical role was great.
Ashley Banjo played Jack Trott he suited this role and brought the character to life. Both him and Perri Kiely worked so well together in their roles, bouncing off Kev Orkian to produce some side splitting material.
Matt Rixon who played Dame Trott was the perfect pantomime dame, and he was loved by everyone. The costumes were phenomenal which allowed each performer to extend their character on stage.
The huge Giants in the first act came alive and were fantastically created with moving effects, to set the scene. The special effects and pyrotechnics were amazing and lasted the whole show without any element of disappointment.
The beanstalk, wow where do we start, as it rose up from the ground to celling height. Left us with an element of amazement. This was topped by Ashley Banjo climbing the life like beanstalk to end the first act. Also in the first act the light effects on the butterfly costumes were incredible.
The whole cast were superb from start to finish with their flawless performances in all the dance numbers. Along with Diversity they brought the house down. Diversity didn’t disappoint with performance and dance moves.
The ensemble maintained a slick accurate performance at all times. The energy in the dances never stopped and allowed the highest level of performance at all times.
Vocally the cast were very strong. Jacqueline Hughes who played Spirit of the beans was able to project her voice and use musicality to tell the story.
The finale was certainly a beautiful end to fun pantomime.
The show is approximately 2 hrs with an interval and has strobe and haze affects throughout.
Tickets start from £19.50 to £48.50 and can be booked here or by calling the box office 02380 711811.
Tickets are limited and selling out fast. Best availability is now between 30th December and 5th January so would be a perfect family event.
I would rate this 5 out of 5 Its a fabulous family pantomime with lots of fun and laughter for all ages.
Rating: 5/5