It’s that time of the year again (oh no it isn’t!) – and a barrel of laughs from Norton Theatre Group’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk! Purse strings are tight in the sleepy village of Snuggly Bottom as Dame Tilly Trott (Paul Jones) and ‘her’ nice-but-dim but well-meaning children struggle to find the readies for their Rachman-like landlord. Left with no choice but to sell their magnificent cow Daisy (costumed by co-producer Les Simms) eldest ‘son’ Jack (Cat Senter) is despatched to town with the instruction ‘don’t get burned this time’ – or words to that effect…
True to form our ne’er-do-well eschews gold pieces for a handful of ‘magic seeds’ from a pair of itinerant hucksters – but more by luck than judgement the seeds sprout into a beanstalk portal to a magic castle inhabited by a hungry giant with a palate for passing visitors marinaded in chef Jacques Gateau’s ‘jus de jour’. In true slapstick form and with the obligatory audience participation Dame Tilly’s unmentionables are successfully desplintered and our heroes decamp with the giant’s treasures to return to their life of bucolic bliss…
This was yet another delight from the creative quill of Chris (Mr Moldiwart) Bennion with chuckles a-plenty mixed with the boos, hisses and behind-yous. The occasional but unsurprising inadvertent gender confusions were well-handled with knowing winks to the audience – narrator and director Sarah B successfully mounts an on-stage protest against her minimal lines (‘It’s morning’ etc) – and the musical numbers had more than a few well-placed lockdown jokes sprinkled to fine effect. We’re already looking forward to next year’s offering!!
By: AOH