If you find yourself in Norfolk in the next couple of weeks and you’re in the mood for a bit of Panto Foolery, then I thoroughly recommend a visit to the lovely Theatre Royal in Norwich to see a rather different Jack and the Beanstalk.
You’re probably thinking that I’m a bit long in the tooth for children’s pantomimes, but this Christmas treat was arranged nearly a year ago, knowing that the whole family, three generations, would be spending this years festivities at my youngest son’s home in Norfolk.
This splendid production is somewhat different to the classic story you might be familiar with, as it is set in the wild wild west of americy, with a cast of cowboys and cowgirls dancing their way through “Nodge City”. But fear not, it is still full of the stuff that we expect, like the panto cow, four children from the audience on stage to get a few more laughs and a fairy godmother flying around on wires.
No less a person than the diminutive former Royal Ballet dancer Wayne Sleep was cast as Stinky Pete, the panto baddy, but the real stars that made this show so good were two Theatre Royal regulars, Ben Langley and Richard Gauntlett.
Hurry though. The show closes on January 15th 2017.
