Jack and the Beanstalk will raise plenty of smiles

In recent years, Glasgow’s King’s Theatre has had its panto stars, around whom it bases its show each year.

The current dynamic duo are Elaine C Smith and Johnny Mac, who have been reigning supreme for three years now, and follow up their 2017 succes Sleeping Beauty, and 2018’s Aladdin, with Jack and the Beanstalk.

We all know the story – poor family, magic beans, beanstalk, chop chop, dead giant.

That, of course, has all been retained, but our tale is set in Glasvegas, where we meet Jack Trot (Mac) and his mum, Dotty (Smith). The pair have a farm, as well as their favourite cow, Daisy – with Jack in love with the king’s daughter, Princess Jill (Naomi Cowe) and Dotty loving the king.

This year, they double-act has been augmented with the arrival of Only An Excuse star Jonathan Watson, as King Hector. I was expecting far more from Watson, as he almost seemed superfluous to the action at times. While the show opens with a chance for Mac and Smith to set the scene, establish their characters and do their own comedy sets, there was little for Watson to work with.

Elaine C Smith in Jack and the Beanstalk (Photo: Richard Campbell)

Every show needs a baddie, which we have in the form of Anne Smith as Mrs Blunderbore, the wife of the giant. She offers a splendid Kelvinside accent, at odds with the more working class delivery of the rest of the cast, and very quickly became the subject of boos and hisses, especially from the children in the audience.

Completing the cast was Angela Darcy as Mammy Nature, who was on hand to offer some exposition between scenes. Like Watson, she seemed a tad underused.

The show has its own established tropes, which also featured in last year’s show, with a silly conversation involving song titles, which the cast mime along to. It’s fast and furious, and, to be honest, I could quite happily have had another minute or so of this. It was great fun and had me bellowing with laughter.

Mac is a gifted performer, perfectly suited to the world of pantomime. Having seen him last year’s show at the King’s, and previously at another show in Glasgow, he is perfect entertainment, pitching his performance at exactly the right level, appealing to the children, but also with a knowing wink for the adults. His verbal dexterity is put to the test (as it was last year) when he gives a fast-talking reprise to sum up the events of the first half, and didn’t trip up once. First class.

Johnny Mac in Jack and the Beanstalk at Glasgow’s King’s Theatre (Photo: Richard Campbell)

He also oversaw the audience interaction, bringing some children on stage to take part in a sing-song at the end of the show. Mac’s discussions with the children are great, and has a surprise in store for one of them. I won’t spoil it, but it had me laughing, gasping and then sighing with the relief!

There’s three props that are worthy of mention too. Firstly, the beanstalk is cleverly realised, growing to what must be some 50+ feet in the corner of the stage, Smith gets to fly in a helicopter (yes, a helicopter, on stage!), and there’s the giant himself, Blunderbore. Keep watching for his eyes, as our heroes assemble outside the castle doors at the top of the beanstalk… And there’s a great gag when (shock!) the giant is defeated and crashes to his death in Glasvegas. The result was a rather flat performance from Mrs Blunderbore…

Pantomime is never meant to be highbrow. It’s there to provide silliness for children, a knowing laugh for the adults, and this show also has lots of silly in-jokes about Glasgow and its culture.

Tickets are available from HERE.

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