Jack and the Beanstalk Review

This year’s review has been written by Louise Carter and Mikhail Lim. Louise and Mikhail enjoy watching and also performing in amateur dramatics. Louise is a theatre lover and is pursuing drama school and a career in the performing arts, singing and acting. Mikhail is studying for a theatre degree at York St John University. Many thanks to them both for writing this review.

As great admirers of everything theatre and music related, it was a pleasure to be given the opportunity to watch and review this spectacular performance. I have been coming to see Bishopthorpe Pantomime for several years now, and every time I have not been disappointed.

This year was no different. As usual, we were greeted with a welcoming smile from the lovely front of house, and shown to our seats with great anticipation, ready for the show to begin…

As the curtains opened, we were taken aback by the whole visual aspect of the show, it was awe-inspiring, with attractive lighting and a captivating set design throughout, with the addition of impressive special effects that were both stunning and on point making the audience jump and gasp with excitement.

The cast this year was very strong with an extremely memorable performance from Lisa Thornton as Witch Hazel, the villain, a role I have not yet seen her take on. She is a worthy antagonist, deserving of much praise as she skilfully captivated the audience with her wonderfully evil cackle and comical taunts. Another note-worthy performance was that of Rachel Skelton, a newcomer to the role of the Princess, who delighted the audience with her charming delivery and spectacular vocal ability.

Other cast members reprising similar roles to what they have taken on before were David Rose as the delightful Dame, Paul Brook as the funny fool and Bobbie Parish as the heroic Jack. These members of the Ebor Players always deliver with their constant energy and compelling stage presence.

As always, the whole cast contributed brilliantly to the general good feeling of the show, with wonderful supporting characters such as the Good Fairy, King, Queen, the snivelling evil Scabies and the eccentric duo Bean and Dunnit. Together with a strong, energetic chorus, each performing member made sure that no audience member left feeling un-entertained.

Like previous years, the show wasn’t short of cleverly re-written musical numbers, never failing to make us all giggle, made even more compelling by the brilliant choreography that went with each number, brought to life by dancers and singers of all ages. The audience were more than happy to join in with the fun by singing and clapping along throughout.

The superb sound effects, wardrobe and props must be praised as well. As ever, each and every one of these aspects made for a heart warming, fun filled and fabulous production that we’re sure will continue to delight and represent this community for many more years to come.

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