Surrey

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43913" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-0820-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption>Ernest Stroud plays the role of Jack.</figcaption></figure>



Panto season is go! And if there’s one things that gets us jingling at Muddy Stilettos it’s a thoroughly modern twist to a Christmas classic. 



At Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, director Joanna Read has taken the old English fairy tale and brought it bang up to date with a strong message about protecting the environment. I won&#8217;t spoil the storyline surprise, but it&#8217;s a good&#8217;un!



The panto productions at Yvonne Arnaud are always very family-focussed with lots of silly puns and zany slapstick comedy routines to keep the kids chortling &#8211; and this year&#8217;s show doesn&#8217;t disappoint. 



The traditional bits are all there including extravagant costumes, lots of dancing, a&nbsp;brilliant giant, plenty of shouting out and a good old singsong. And of course, there&#8217;s the traditional ‘he’s behind you’ scene. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43914" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1159-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption>Devon-Elise Johnson as Fairy Foxglove and Peter Gordon as Mary.</figcaption></figure>



Guildford panto stalwart Peter Gordon returns for his 16th consecutive show, this year playing Mary from the Dairy &#8211; mother of Jack. He slips into the role like a comfy pair of reindeer slippers and doesn&#8217;t disappoint with his quick wit, mild cynicism and fabulous costumes. 



Jack is played by newcomer Ernest Stroud, a jaunty chap, with a crush on his best friend Jill (Maya Elliott), a self-proclaimed &#8216;girl boss&#8217;. The line-up also includes Jack&#8217;s brother, Slightly Fragile Simon, played by James Merry &#8211; you might recognise him from Cbeebies &#8211; who keeps the gags coming thick and fast. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43912" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-1668-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption>Kit Hesketh-Harvey as Hendrix the Horrible.</figcaption></figure>



The marvellous Kit Hesketh-Harvey returns to the Guildford panto as the evil villain for his 10th turn &#8211; this year playing Hendrix the Horrible &#8211; and he milks the audience for every hiss and boo he can muster, as well as a chuckle or two. Evil or not, you can&#8217;t help but like him, just a little bit.



And then there&#8217;s Fairy Foxglove &#8211; played by Devon-Elise Johnson &#8211; who lights up the stage, literally. This is a woman who&#8217;s made for musical theatre, she&#8217;s the star of the singing show,&nbsp;belting out a gorgeous version of Katrina and the Waves&#8217; Walking on Sunshine, and later duetting with Jack and Jill to sing a version of Marvin Gaye&#8217;s Aint No Mountain High Enough.



But it’s very much a team effort in pantoland and the magic of this production lies in the singing, dancing and comic timing of the entire cast, and the ensemble, who bring a vibrant energy that will engage audiences night after night. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43917" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-at-the-Yvonne-Arnaud-Theatre-photographer-Craig-Fuller-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption>Maya Elliott (centre) as Jill, with the ensemble.</figcaption></figure>



A special shoutout must to go the fabulous 12 Days of Christmas sketch performed to chaotic perfection by Jack, Simon and Mary, which included &#8216;Fiiiive custard pies&#8217; that found themselves unceremoniously hurled in Simon&#8217;s face, again and again. And then, much to the children&#8217;s utter delight, the trio grab a set of water pistols and take aim at the audience. You&#8217;ve been warned!



The sets are cleverly designed &#8211; taking us from the village of Merry Dale to Cloud Land &#8211; and back again. And the actual giant who plods onto the stage &#8211; as opposed to just a booming voice (which, incidentally is the voice of Steve Backshall) &#8211; is a highlight. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-43915" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134-400x267.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2022/12/Jack-and-the-Beanstalk-YAT-9134-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption>Jack, Mary and Simon (James Merry).</figcaption></figure>



If it’s good old-fashioned and feel-good family fun you’re after this festive season, Jack and the Beanstalk has nailed it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



Good for:&nbsp;Families! There’s plenty here to entertain children and adults.



Not for:&nbsp;Children who might easily be scared by a 20ft giant. 



<a href="https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/pantomime/jack-and-beanstalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jack and the Beanstalk</a>&nbsp;is on at Guildford&#8217;s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre until Sun 8 Jan. Book your tickets <a href="https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/pantomime/jack-and-beanstalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

Review: Jack and the Beanstalk, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

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