Jack and the Beanstalk

Published Friday 18 December 2009 at 13:55 by Mark Ritchie

A fairy on roller skates, a quite outstanding, traditional pantomime dame and The One and Only himself, Chesney Hawkes, all combine to produce a top-drawer pantomime this year in Grimsby.

Zoe Belding is a local lass and everyone’s favourite fairy, while Joe Standerline delivers a delightful Norman Evans/Les Dawson-style dame who, despite the traditional approach, entered dancing to a belting Beyonce track and threw in some topical Jordan/Peter Andre gags for good topical measure.

Hawkes as Jack Trott drifts in and out of proceedings, but predictably opens with his No 1 hit, complete with guitar, right at the top of the show.

Simon Burbage as Silly Billy really needs to make his punch lines louder and be more in your face, as the throwaway style is not really true to the character.

Well done to Lesley Swaby and her excellent troupe of dancers for keeping it simple, yet interesting, making the stage look so open and not over egging the choreographic pudding. There was some great tumbling and a well executed domino fall to enjoy as well.

James McLean as the hiss-provoking Fleshcreep keeps the scary stuff just the right side of the line, while the excellent Victoria Gotham as Baroness Boot delivers the funniest line in the show. On banishing Dame Trott and her brood from their home, the Baroness comments: “How perfect life would be if I didn’t have the Trotts.” Great fun.