Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an English DJ, a record-breaking Welsh dame, a returning magical favourite, and a scene-stealing cow – panto is back in Swansea with a giant dose of seasonal silliness.
Imagine Theatre’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk, while taking a few liberties with the familiar fairytale, is essentially the well-known story of a young boy duped into trading his cow for worthless beans, only to redeem himself by squaring off against a giant in the sky. A vehicle on which to hang amusing set pieces, upbeat dance numbers and singalong songs, it runs, for the most part, like a well-oiled machine. While some opening weekend jitters were evident during my visit, it will presumably be fully up to speed by the time you read these words.
Headline star Scott Mills plays Mayor Mills, a councillor who doubles up as a full-time DJ, bringing the tunes to the locals via the Merry Mumbles airwaves. It’s a likeable role that plays to the soon-to-be Radio 2 breakfast host’s strengths, delivering quick, dry one-liners that endear him to the audience and contrasts nicely with the zaniness of the duo beside him.
The more over-the-top clowning antics are reserved for Kev Johns, the homegrown favourite who can do no wrong in a dress as Dame Trot, and Matt Edwards, the returning magician, funnyman and honorary Swansea Jack, as her son Larry Trot. After so many shows together the pair have a chemistry and effortless rhythm to their interactions, and anyone who has seen a Swansea Grand panto in recent years will know exactly what to expect from their madcap double-act.
The leading cast is rounded off by Jo Osmond as the wicked Poison Ivy, Christina Harris as a plucky Jill, and Celyn Cartwright as a joyous and sparkly Fairy Ffion. Special mention goes to Mark Read as the title character, Jack. A former member of boyband A1, he has the whole panto package in his armoury, with a slick acting performance to go with the soaring singing voice. Buttercup the Cow, meanwhile, draws the biggest ‘awwwws’ from the audience whenever she waddles on stage.
Written and co-directed by Eric Potts, alongside choreographer and co-director Stuart Glover, the dancers are another highlight – endlessly energetic and beaming with smiles throughout. With music direction from John Quirk, the orchestra in the pit keeps the show’s pace lively and vibrant.
Pantomime is an artform that is both rooted in tradition and constantly being reinvented. Timeless elements are on display that might have been familiar to Victorian theatregoers when the Grand first opened its doors in 1897: cross-dressing dames, a farmyard animal played by two actors, and a stream of nudge-nudge-wink-wink innuendos.
Yet panto also likes to push the boundaries – and the budget – in the special effects department. Possibly the biggest trend in the last decade is the introduction of animated stage sets. Gone are the days of stagehands frantically rolling up backdrops in the darkness between scene changes. Nowadays, an animated screen can switch from a fairytale village to a haunted forest in the blink of an eye. When it works well, it looks fantastic. Old Swansea town – this panto is set in the days before the city’s inauguration – is awash with dayglo life. Despite living in the shadow of the giant’s castle, it’s a bright and dynamic setting, with birds flying through skies and fireworks exploding overhead.
The panto’s weaker points, however, come when this technology is overused, especially when actors have to engage with 2D display screens. In the familiar set-piece where characters get lost in a spooky location and are scared offstage one by one, the traditional shoulder-tapping ghost is replaced by computer-generated suits of armour. There is a jarring disconnect, and it feels unnecessary; sometimes, the old ways are still the best ways.
Thankfully, the two key elements of the tale – the giant and the beanstalk – remain gloriously physical. The big villain lumbers around the stage in an oversized suit, stomping after our hero in a rare moment of genuine menace for younger fans. The beanstalk, meanwhile, erupts from the ground in a manner that – in words I never thought I’d type in a panto review – brings to mind Lovecraftian cosmic entity Cthulhu rising from the depths. More than mere decoration, this is a fully climbable monster of a plant that Jack scales up towards the heavens as the curtain falls for the interval.
Ultimately, Swansea Grand Theatre’s Jack and the Beanstalk delivers exactly what panto fans could hope for: a colourful, camp and joyous spectacle with an energetic cast, infectious dance routines and plenty of laughs. It’s a festive tradition that proves some things – like a great dame, a giant adventure and a scene-stealing cow – only get better with time.