Tag Archives: David Shields

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: WHAT A WHOPPER!

★★★

Charing Cross Theatre

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: WHAT A WHOPPER! at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★

“some great, high-energy performances and a really superb design”

Following last year’s Sleeping Beauty Takes a Prick!, the same creative team returns to the Charing Cross Theatre with another riotously naughty adult pantomime: Jack and the Beanstalk: What a Whopper! This outrageous take on the beloved fairytale, written by Jon Bradfield and Martin Hooper, promises all the glitter and glamour of traditional panto, but with a decidedly adult twist. Packed with innuendos, saucy humour, and fabulous designs, it’s an unashamedly queer festive night out.

The show’s design is truly marvellous, with David Shields’ award-winning talents on full display. The set bursts with vibrant colour and whimsical detail, perfectly capturing the silly yet sophisticated tone of the production. Glittering pink and blue clouds frame the stage and floor, giving a cohesive, cartoon-like charm that’s both nostalgic and fresh. Scene transitions, from Dame Dolly’s kitchen to a graveyard and even then to the sky, are executed with seamless flair, ensuring the visual storytelling flows effortlessly. Perhaps the most important part of any version of this particular story is, of course, the reveal of the beanstalk. Shields’ design absolutely does not disappoint, with the phallic shaped stalk bursting onto the scene with great delight from the audience.

Robert Draper and Sandy Lloyd’s costumes are equally delightful, combining bold colours, traditional panto flair and some fun little tricks too. Matthew Baldwin’s Dame Dolly has perhaps a dozen changes throughout the show, donning various wigs and dresses, and at one glorious moment appearing in a Norma Desmond-inspired number, reflecting her character’s backstory as a failed soap opera star.

Matthew Baldwin is right at home as he returns to the adult pantomime and absolutely lives up to his reputation. He builds a great rapport with the audience, gracing the stage with ease, effortlessly balancing the character’s brash humour and softer moments. Chris Lane, swapping last year’s villainous role for Dale the fairy, is another standout. His cheeky rapport with the audience, impeccable comic timing, and flirtatious stage presence adds endless charm. Lane’s dynamic with Keanu Adolphus Johnson’s Jack Trott is particularly entertaining, with their playful exchanges offering plenty of laughs.

Johnson brings a likeable quality to Jack, capturing the character’s charm. While his performance might benefit from bolder characterisation, his chemistry with the rest of the cast and general presence is lovely. Laura Anna-Mead, as Simple Simone, has boundless energy from her first entrance, becoming hilariously giddy when talking about her big crush.

Jordan Stamatiadis also returns to this year’s panto as the villainous Lady Fleshcreep. Stamatiadis has a commanding onstage presence and shows off a gloriously evil voice. Meanwhile, Joe Grundy as Reverend Tim, navigating a comic sexual awakening, provides some laughs, though could push the physical characterisation much further.

Carole Todd’s choreography brings lots of joy and energy to the stage. Matt Hockley’s lighting design enhances this further, bathing the action in vibrant colours and dynamic effects that amplify the panto’s glittering atmosphere.

While the script delivers its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments, packed with smutty innuendos and one-liners, the narrative could be tightened. Scenes drift a little and could do with more focus as it journeys through each beat of the story. Likewise, musically, the original songs don’t do much to drive the narrative and aren’t exactly catchy or memorable. A brief moment of Beyonce is very welcome and further use of parodying pre-existing songs would really elevate the show to the next level.

Jack and the Beanstalk: What a Whopper! has some great, high-energy performances and a really superb design. The humour sometimes lands and sometimes doesn’t, and I think the show would overall benefit from focussing a bit more on story and a little less on joke after joke, which starts to get a little tiring. Above all, I think this is a pantomime team which knows its audience, and I’m sure many will really enjoy this year’s offering.


 

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: WHAT A WHOPPER! at Charing Cross Theatre

Reviewed on 28th November 2024

by Joseph Dunitz

Photography by Steve Gregson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

TATTOOER | ★★★ | October 2024
ONE SMALL STEP | ★★ | October 2024
MARIE CURIE | ★★★ | June 2024
BRONCO BILLY – THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | January 2024
SLEEPING BEAUTY TAKES A PRICK! | ★★★★ | November 2023
REBECCA | ★★★★ | September 2023
GEORGE TAKEI’S ALLEGIANCE | ★★★★ | January 2023
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY | ★★★★ | November 2022
THE MILK TRAIN DOESN’T STOP HERE ANYMORE | ★★★ | October 2022
RIDE | ★★★★★ | August 2022

JACK AND THE

JACK AND THE

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THE STORY OF MY LIFE

★★★★

Stage Door Theatre

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THE STORY OF MY LIFE at the Stage Door Theatre

★★★★

“Hill’s dialogue and Bartram’s lyrics are full of eccentric humour, observations and paradoxes”

“The Story of My Life” wears its influences unashamedly on its sleeve, but at the same time has some gorgeous little tricks up those same sleeves. The opening number, ‘Write What You Know’, has more than a nod towards Stephen Sondheim, yet as the song list unfolds, Neil Bartram’s own individuality as a composer shines through. The musical numbers are the perfect accompaniment to Brian Hill’s book, that is intelligently and wittily crafted into an emotional tribute to friendship. The musical’s spirit is lifted straight from Frank Capra’s ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, and it soars just as high. Truly, it’s a wonderful show.

Alvin (Tim Edwards) and Thomas (Markus Sodergren) are childhood friends. They became best friends in first grade, bonding over their respective Halloween costumes – Thomas as the Angel Clarence from Capra’s film and Alvin as the ghost of his mum. An indeterminate number of years later, Thomas – now a bestselling author – is trying unsuccessfully to write the eulogy for Alvin’s funeral. The ghost of Alvin appears, more of a distraction than a helping hand, but between them they pull books from the shelves behind them, picking out stories from their past and moulding them into the songs that beautifully evoke their friendship, and the forces that drew them together, then apart, and eventually together again posthumously.

Alvin is a bubble of energy, fascinated by the infinite quirks of the universe while remaining trapped within his own small world. Edwards brilliantly captures Alvin’s sheer ingenuous joy of life, that beats like a fragile wing unable to withstand the winds of fear and insecurity that push him over the edge. His is a complicated mix of neediness and loyalty that Edwards makes irresistibly endearing. Sodergren’s Thomas is more calculated but no less complicated. Breaking bonds and breaking away, his success as a writer throws him into denial. Not just for his true feelings, but also the fact that his literary triumphs are, in fact, literally stolen from his friend’s imagination. Sodergren perceptively chips away at his hard mantle, eventually acknowledging the debt he owes. Whether it is too late or not doesn’t matter; he melts our hearts anyway.

In fact, they both do. We laugh and we cry with them. Hill’s dialogue and Bartram’s lyrics are full of eccentric humour, observations and paradoxes. Occasionally verging on platitude, they are pulled back by the performances. Each song is seamlessly crafted into the text, drawing us in with a smile or a tear as we are swept from the underscore into the waves of emotion of each melody. Sometimes the line between leitmotif and repetition is blurred, but there are some stand out moments. ‘This Is It’ echoes the multiple meanings of the title phrase; its harmonies bringing the couple together. A rich counterpoint to ‘Saying Goodbye’ – parts one to four seen through different eyes. ‘The Butterfly’ is another stand-alone moment, quiet but strong and magnificently delivered. ‘1876’ adopts a lilting folksiness that conjures a young Tom Waits. Minus the gravelly voice, of course. Both Edwards and Sodergren have the vocal purity that can carry the emotive weight of the songs. Musical Director, Aaron Clingham, skilfully and sensitively guides them through the repertoire. They are often tricky numbers, but Clingham’s effortless piano – accompanied by Pippa Mason on cello and Becky Hughes on Clarinet and oboe – lift them into a floating and haunting score.

Designer David Shields’ setting is stark, simple and spot on. White books stacked on white bookcases feed the narrative as the actors plunder the shelves for their backstories. Robert McWhir’s intuitive direction allows the action to wander through the audience, drawing us further in still. Eventually we don’t mind that the ending is unresolved. We never get the full answers to the questions that this musical poses, yet we are filled with a sense of peace. It is quite a unique experience to be moved by something that isn’t being shouted from the rooftops.

Alvin talks about the ‘Butterfly Effect’ – the idea that the world is deeply interconnected, and that a small butterfly flapping its wings could, hypothetically, cause a typhoon somewhere else in the world. “The Story of My Life” is seemingly small-scale, yet it has a huge effect. And an even bigger heart. A real gem that needs no Guardian Angel to ensure its success.


THE STORY OF MY LIFE at the Stage Door Theatre

Reviewed on 13th September 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Peter Davies

 

 


 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE TAILOR-MADE MAN | ★★★★ | May 2024
MARRY ME A LITTLE | ★★★ | March 2024

THE STORY OF MY LIFE

THE STORY OF MY LIFE

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