The start of the silly season and Nottingham gets another chance to shout, “It’s behind you!” The Theatre Royal pantomime trades on star names for its unique selling point. This year it’s Nigel Havers’ turn to add ticket-selling clout to Jack and the Beanstalk. Havers’ shtick throughout the villainous Fleshcreep is to comically name-check his extensive past as a ‘proper’ thespian - adverts included - and despite drawing boos, as he should, he insists we ‘will love him’ by the end. I won’t trouble you with the other plot details, suffice to say, it’s much as you would expect.
As a production it is long on pyrotechnics, animatronic technology and stuff falling on the audience from above meaning that, in every respect, Jack and the Beanstalk is a thoroughly-modern Christmas show.
Script-wise it trades on everyman gaggery rather than any knowing ‘this one’s for the dads’ nods and winks, almost exclusively playing to the middle ground.
Paul Zerdin is hero Jack Trot. Helped by puppet sidekick, Sam, he is entertaining throughout. Zerdin brings a stage act feel to proceedings without it seeming out of place. Elsewhere, the role of Dame Trot is filled by Andrew Ryan and eye candy comes in the form of Emma Cannon as Mother Nature, which leaves Emmerdale’s Jenna Louise Coleman to tip-toe through proceedings as Princess Apricot.
A running joke is provided by an audience member. On this occasion the hapless ‘Kev’ is the poor sap sat on the front row, stage left. Over the course of events he finds himself the butt of all jokes from all cast members. His participation culminating in being dragged on stage and operated as if a real life dummy, before entering into a spot of kill-me-now ‘Riverdancing’…
Saturday night in this beautiful old theatre, even in earliest December, makes it feel like the festive season is already well-and-truly upon. Jack and the Beanstalk delivers everything you would expect. It’s funny and it’s glitzy. Ultimately, it’s panto.
Jack and the Beanstalk runs at the Theatre Royal until Sunday 17th January 2010
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