Those who have been following us for a while will be aware that it is physically impossible for us to refuse when an invite comes through from a London adventure (the last of which for us being the intense No Good Drunk which you can read about at https://rhysreviews.com/2025/11/09/no-good-drunk-production-review-b/) and so when the message came through that the Lyric theatre would like us in attendance for their annual Christmas pantomime we knew it was an absolute must! This unique retelling of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk written by Sonia Jalaly tells the story of two kids conveniently named Jack and Jill (brought to life by the wonderful Joey James and Sienna Widd respectively)who recently moved schools and became members of the mysterious Fleshcreep academy which appears to make it their school motto to eradicate joy from their schooling system. This school then gets a visit from the magical Fairy Godfather in a bid to restore the children’s imagination who goes in disguise as the school’s newest music and drama teacher. These three characters alongside the school’s newest dinner lady and also Jack/Jill’s mother Momma Trott get caught up in the dark goings on and end up in Giant’s land to overcome the villainous Sir Fleshcreep himself.
In terms of character progression, no one changes more than the titular character Jack Trott (played by the incredible Joey James) who starts the show as an incredibly shy and reserved person whose only friend is his imaginary sock puppet but quickly becomes one of the most active members of the resistance against Fleshcreep himself. The story begins with Jack struggling to make friends and being unable to speak up to himself but as it progresses he becomes more and more confident which was captured flawlessly and believably by Joey and culminates with an insanely powerful sense at the end of the second act where Jack delivered a fast-paced rap to “victory lap” by Fred Again, PlaqueBoyMax, and Skepta which got the audience totally behind them as they stood up to the villainous characters. On top of this wonderful character arc, Joey was also responsible for showcase a degree of ventriloquism skills being their sock puppet to life which at first I have to admit I was a little taken back by but as the show continued the sock gained copious amounts of empathy of the audience so much so that when Jack finally gains the courage to leave Sock Face the audience went plunged into choruses of “Awwwhs” backed by overflowing feelings of sympathy!
I think it will come as a no surprise to literally anyone who has ever met me before to hear that my favourite performance of the evening came from the incredibly talented Sam Harrison who took on the iconic role of Momma Trott. Having fairly limited panto experience (I know shocker), I thought it was insanely clever writing to have the same be an integral part of the entire narrative including a unique love story (but more on that later), appearing throughout the story and even being a major part of the eventual good overcoming evil sequence towards the end of the show. We are first introduced to the pantomime dame in a brilliant sequence that sequels that she is in fact the new dinner lady at the rather unusual fleshcreep academy. This is a school known for its manta of “no singing, no dancing and no joy” so seeing this character appear in a fantastically theatrical parody of the Sabrina Carpenter classic “taste” where she talks about how she is “working late cuz she’s a mother” would have not only had approving nods from many of the parents in attendance but also helped to mark this role as somewhat of a game changer which, as hinted at earlier, she was and more! One of the most iconic scenes in the entire production sees Momma Trott trapped inside a vending machine as her own kids unknowingly press a series of buttons causing a plethora of juices to cascade onto the helpless dame as the audience is forced to watch on as they cannot help. Having all this muck smothered over her is an incredible feat which I personally would be extremely hesitant to take part in but Sam stayed in character and focused throughout showcasing how much of a true professional they truly are! Not only did this role have a collection of iconic performances with an array of fantastical and incredible outfits, but they also took the time out to deliver a classic pantomime game towards the end of the show while inviting two audience members onto the stage to have a sock and spoon race!
However, Dame Trott was not the only piece of drag for the audience at Jack and the Beanstalk as the writers had also introduced a fairy Godfather into the mix. Captured flawlessly by the wonderful Jade Hacklett, this character is sent on an emergency mission to Fleshcreep Academy to restore imagination to the school kids. The Fairygodfather is the first character the audience is introduced to as the story opens with them waking up from a nap and realising imagination is at an all-time low. They then introduce themselves and lay the foundations for the entire show as well as getting the audience excited by exciting bucketfuls of audience participation which also appears multiple times throughout the show. This high energy and engaging start to the show helps to keep everyone in the audience invested throughout (especially the younger members of the audience) which was particularly needed after my long bus journey to the Lyric! In classic pantomime style, in the later part of the show sees The Fairy Godfather take to the stage to lead a traditional sing-along with a rendition of “Glory, Glory Hammersmith” with a fantastic Jamaican twist that had every person in the audience wanting to jump up and dance!
As highlighted earlier this production is unique in the fact that not only do the drag-infused characters play an active and major role in driving the show’s narratives but they also share a unique romance storyline which is not something I have seen before! Both the Fairy Godfather and Momma Trott are archetypes that are often portrayed as observers of the stories unfolding rather than actually being a part of the events so having them as central characters who develop feelings for each other was a fantastic twist in panto tradition. This unique pairing is obviously a fantastic representation of queer romance which can only have a positive effect I the wider society which I personally think is fantastic! I thought that I thought it was perfect idea to have these two officially open the second act with their rendition of the iconic “Formation” by beyonce and the viral “not like us” as it not only helped to make a full circle narrative (as The Fairy Godfather also opened the first act) that helped to keep the audience hooked but it was the perfect injection of energy to get the audience back into the story after the short intermission. One of the songs that makes sense in terms of narrative (instead of just being a nod to pop culture) was this pair’s rendition of “Where the hell is my husband” by Raye that takes place in a Scooby Doo style chase scene where the pair are looking for each other in Giant’s land. However, it was not just these panto archetypes that were showcased during this number but the ensemble made a clear point to show they are also incredible as they deliver a dance masterclass including a section of voguing that I really loved! One of the most fantastic pop culture references occurred in act two when the villain of the story is made aware that a group of intruders have entered the giant land. This leads to a series of live footage frames being shredded as it suddenly pans to The Fairy Godfather and Momma Trott are caught cuddling up to each other as “yellow” begins to play which was an obvious yet hilarious homage to the viral moment a CEO and his mistress were caught embracing at a Coldplay concert. It may have taken certain audience members a few seconds to catch up on the joke but once it settled they all erupted in laughter!
As a qualified and practising English teacher, there has never been a bigger sign that someone is obviously a villain than when the headteacher of the academy named after him Sir Fleshcreep MBE (played wonderfully by the amazing John Partridge) sang an entire song about his love of OFSTED. For those who are not familiar, OFSTED is the English equivalent of Estyn who are inspection service that goes into schools and sees if they are functioning as they should. These inspections are incredibly intense and have somewhat become infamous in the teaching world as they can be extremely arduous and add immense amounts of stress to teachers on top of their already difficult commitments. Seeing a character sing a song where they literally say “Give it to me OFSTED” to the tune “Pretty Fly for a white guy” by The Offspring helped to instantly portray this character as someone who cannot be trusted! On top of literally singing about wanting more attention from the infamous inspection board, this character performed the entire number in a MEGA (make education great again) hat which was an obvious nod to the notorious current president of America Donald Trump which again solidified this as the evil role of the pantomime. This outlandish role was one of the characters that helped to introduce a sense of immersion for the audience as they appeared in different locations in the Lyric including boxes, the stalls and the stage itself which helped to keep the audience as they were in the edge of their seat throughout waiting to see where he would appear next!
In conclusion, Jack and the Beanstalk from the team at The Lyric Hammersmith is a fun-filled, family-friendly celebration of all the things the British public love about the art of pantomime including pop culture parodies, a fabulous dame, fun games, incredible choreography and audience participation by the bucket loads! This is truly pantomime at its highest quality and ensured every single person could take something away from this fantastical story. I do have to say that I think “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan was the perfect way to end a pantomime as it is not only a high-energy, feel-good track but also allowed the show to introduce the classic pantomime dance routine that the audience could actively get involved in! I would rate this production 5 out of 5 stars!
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