Many people choose to return to panto in adulthood to enjoy the sense of nostalgia from festive seasons passed. Those who chose to visit The Charing Cross Theatre though, will find a version which is far less golden egg and far more golden shower. Forget what you think you know about this story as Jack and the Beanstalk - What a Whopper! takes the adult panto to the next level with a flurry of funny jokes, but actually very little beanstalk and perhaps that festive magic desired.
Many won’t need the story of Jack and the Beanstalk described, and while the story is recognisable, it’s the surprise aspect of ‘what will happen next?’ in this wacky story which has become such a custom with panto. The title acts as a framework for the show, tying everything together and a gleeful moment when one of the characters finally exclaims ‘what a whopper!’. Despite being an adult panto (certainly not one for all the family!) It's actually the most classic, punny jokes which encourage the most audience laughter along with moments which perhaps joke about location or are self-referential with panto as a form.
It’s the ability to simply be silly which brought the most joy, with some of the more crude jokes (and there were a lot of them!) occasionally failing to hit the mark with back to back one liners favoured over jokes with buildup. While Innuendo was plentiful, the classic trademark of panto of playing on the year's biggest memes, laugh or news stories is sadly missed. I’m certainly no prude but there were the occasional moments where the jokes struggled to hit and perhaps left the audience craving a little more panto magic while also acknowledging its very adult audience.
The cast on a whole were absolutely fantastic and it’s clear to see the joy they get from performing in panto season. Keanu Adolphus Johnson is a fantastic Jack - charming, camp and quick to hit the mark with the script abundant in comedy one liners. When almost all of the lines are comedy led, this cannot be an easy feat, however, he appears confident in this role. Matthew Baldwin as Dame Dolly Trott is clearly a very seasoned performer returning to the theatre, and is often the leader of many magic moments with the audience, some including a skunk and a hairy beaver! Baldwin is exactly what you’d expect from a dame, decorated in fantastic costume design by Sandy Lloyd and Robert Draper which sprinkles in some of that glitz and glamour of panto.
The standouts of the show though have to go to Laura Anna-Mead and Jordan Stamstiadis as Simple Simone and Lady Fleshcreep respectively. Both performers are entirely committed, playing their extreme character stereotypes with a wonderful sense of confidence and humour. The moment when Simple Simone finally gets to sing her song has the audience cheering, clearly winning over the audience with her character performance.
With a clearly very vocally capable cast, it’s a shame that more musical numbers weren't present in this production to really showcase their talents. It was also surprising that almost all of the songs were totally original and didn’t parody this year's charts as often seen in panto. Ordinarily this allows the audience to feel more involved, but instead the songs remain a little forgettable and, while the choreography is strong, do little in the way of progressing the narrative.
One thing you can always count on the Charing Cross Theatre for is high production value. The set design by David Shields is very ambitious for such a small space, but still manages to feel grand and impactful, giving a strong sense of location. The reveal of the beanstalk was incredibly amusing (I’ll leave you to guess what it looks like!). Although, it has to be said that, the beanstalk was drastically underused especially considering the title!
Overall, Jack and the Beanstalk - What a Whopper! has clearly found its audience as the producers return for another year at this wonderful space. While amusing and witty in most parts, it’s the sense of nostalgia mixed with adult humor which is missing from this iteration of the tale. It is still a very strong production with clearly a great cast and crew behind it, however it could benefit from a little more balance between storyline and humor to propel this production into a panto staple of the West End.
Jack and the Beanstalk - What a Whopper! runs at the Charing Cross Theatre until 11th January 2025 - for more information and tickets, you can follow the link below.
★★★☆☆ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Steve Gregson
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