Tag Archives: Emily K Neal

Jack and the Beanstalk

★★★★

Online

ReviewsColin Cattle, David ‘Daisy’ Morgan, Emily K Neal, Everyman Cinemas, Ian Talbot, Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack be Nimble, Jos Vantyler, Julia Gale, Nicola Blackman, Peter Duncan, Sam Ebenezer, Sarah Moss, Yuval Shwartsmanthespyinthestalls

Jack and the Beanstalk

Online and in cinemas

Reviewed – 3rd December 2020

★★★★

“The witty jokes, jolly songs and dazzling costumes all combine to provide a show for the whole family to enjoy”

There’s no denying it’s been a tough year, and the hardships the theatre industry has endured cannot be understated. With so much uncertainty, it was touch and go as to whether we’d be able to enjoy a traditional pantomime this year. A small number of theatres are going to be performing panto to much smaller audiences than they’re used to and some are going online, so we can enjoy a bit of light-hearted entertainment from home this festive season. Filmed over the summer on sets in the writer and director’s own back garden, Jack and the Beanstalk is one such online alternative. Peter Duncan, former Blue Peter presenter, actor and theatre and film maker, presents an hour and a half of the fun, energetic antics we have all come to expect from this uniquely British tradition.

We first see a family at home where a little girl receives a parcel – a Jack and the Beanstalk story book – and we are then transported into the world of the story and the girl’s imagination. This is an engaging introduction and should really captivate the children who are watching from the outset.

The show begins and the Garden Fairy appears in a bold, bright costume. As with live pantos, we are encouraged to interact early on and, in this case, “shout at the screen”. We are introduced to an array of quirky characters including Jack (Sam Ebenezer), Dame Trott (played by Peter Duncan himself), Giant Blunderbore (Yuval Shwartsman), who spends his time terrorising the villagers from above, and his dogsbody Fleshcreepy (Jos Vantyler), amongst other characters. All actors commit well to their roles, are entertaining to watch and supported by an energetic ensemble.

Throughout the story are timely, light-hearted references to the current Coronavirus pandemic including a song about lockdown at the start and plastic screens used for the characters’ romantic embraces at the end of the show.

Costumes (David Morgan) are everything you would expect from a traditional panto, from the over the top dame outfit to the dainty dress worn by the female lead. The design of Giant Blunderbore is particularly effective. We see him towards the end of the show, having only heard his bellowing voice before then.

Jack and the Beanstalk is performed in the traditional panto style audiences will be familiar with. The witty jokes, jolly songs and dazzling costumes all combine to provide a show for the whole family to enjoy. Nothing can beat the feeling of being in a theatre and seeing a live production, but the cast and creative team have done tremendously well in their attempts to replicate this feeling for us – catch it while you can.

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

Jack and the Beanstalk

Online via www.pantoonlne.co.uk and at Everyman Cinemas from 4th December. At Showcase cinemas from 11th December

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When We Died

★★★★

VAULT Festival 2020

ReviewsAlexandra Donnachie, Ali Wright, Andy Routledge, Carbon Theatre, Emily K Neal, VAULT Festival 2020, When We Diedthespyinthestalls

When We Died

Cage – The Vaults

Reviewed – 11th March 2020

★★★★

“a gripping play that deals sensitively with a difficult topic”

Rachel presents dead bodies, for what we can assume is a funeral directors, and is forced to confront her demons when faced with the body of a man who sexually assaulted her. This forms the basis of Alexandra Donnachie’s play, When We Died, exploring the aftermath of trauma and how one woman coming face to face with her attacker prompts her to tell her story.

The play begins relatively upbeat, with Rachel explaining her job and how she entertains herself by imagining the kinds of lives the people she has to embalm might have lived. The humour here is quite unexpected but actually works very well. A change of mood occurs when Rachel explains that one day she had to present a man it turns out she knows, although we’re unsure of exactly how they knew each other at this point in the play.

Throughout the play Rachel switches from providing an insight into the different stages of the embalming process (oddly fascinating!) to recounting how she met her attacker, the night he took advantage and the impact the event went on to have. Donnachie’s engaging manner makes it easy for us to retain interest in the story and feel empathy for the character she has created. You can really imagine Rachel’s place of work, flat and the people in her life thanks to Donnachie’s excellent story-telling. She also makes a good amount of eye contact with the audience, but not so much that it’s awkward.

The stage is framed by strips of neon lights on the floor and two neon poles in opposite corners, which change colour and dim at various points during the play. This is quite atmospheric but doesn’t add a great deal to a play which is fuelled by an engaging script and talented sole performer.

When We Died deals with a tricky subject, but there is no graphic detail of sexual violence. The focus is instead on the aftermath of rape and how this one character copes and comes to terms with it. Andy Routledge’s direction combined with Donnachie’s writing and acting makes for a gripping play that deals sensitively with a difficult topic. I only hope more people get to experience it beyond its short run as part of the VAULT Festival.

Reviewed by Emily K Neal

Photography by Ali Wright

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