Surrey

A fabulous all round Panto! Theres somthing in there for everyone.Great portrayal of characters. Lively music, great dance routines and chreoghraphy. Bright colourful costumes. A great family afternoon or evening out at a reasonable cost, to put you in the festive mood. Would definitely visit Camberley Theatre again to see another Pantomime in future. Exceptional dancer that stood out, Cameron King,&#8221;Wow&#8221;

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I&#8217;m a big fan of the panto production at Camberley Theatre &#8211; every year they get it exactly right serving up a delicious dose of daft escapism and frivolous fun.



And this year &#8211; perhaps when we most need it &#8211; was no different a polished and professional production of Jack and the Beanstalk that was feel-good and fun. This is good old-fashioned panto at its best, a panto that made for families with plenty of silly jokes to keep the children cackling but not so many that grown-ups are groaning in their seats and wondering when it&#8217;ll all be over.



The traditional bits were all there including extravagant costumes, lots of dancing, a brilliant giant, plenty of shouting out and a good old singsong. And of course, there was the traditional &#8216;he&#8217;s behind you&#8217; scene.



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The show was directed by Suzi Budd, her fourth time directing the panto at Camberley, who promised a show that was warm and fuzzy, like wrapping you up in a big hug. And that&#8217;s exactly what she delivered. There was not a single mention of the C-word or the P-word (Covid and pandemic, you naughty minds) but plenty of laughs.



As well as directing, Suzi stepped into the role of Fleshcreep, the villain of the show and mother of Giant Blunderbore. Painted head-to-toe in green, she makes an excellent baddie with a perfect high-pitch cackle and fabulous facial expressions. A shout out, too, to the puppeteers and technical team responsible for impressive Giant Blunderbore who was also rather brilliant. 



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Matt Ian Kelly returned as the panto dame, having won audiences over as in Robin Hood two years ago. This year he was Jack&#8217;s mum, Dame Dolly Trott, and his charm and wit were again centre stage &#8211; sporting the dresses and flirting with poor audience member Peter with aplomb. His comic timing is superb.



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This version of Jack and the Beanstalk included the addition of Jill (Jack and Jill, geddit?!), a love interest for Jack. But Jill was not your traditional damsel in distress (or dress) kitted out in overalls as a feisty mechanic. She was the star of the singing show, with a voice that genuinely made the hairs on you neck stand up, belting out a touching version of David Guetta&#8217;s Titanium. It was one of the highlights, and if I had one criticism of the show, I&#8217;d say that it would have been nice to hear more of that beautiful voice.



Jack was played by Luke Dredwell, and he was joined by his kooky brother Simple Simon (Josh Harvey) who kept the gags coming thick and fast. A diversion from the usual frilly-frocked fairy, this year it was Colin the fairy played with perfect poise and posturing by Thomas Andrew Smith. It&#8217;s the seventh year he&#8217;s been involved in the panto at Camberley and this year he also choreographed the show.



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Which brings us nicely to the ensemble, a talented team of singers and dancers who tied everything together rather nicely.



Special mention must also go to Sarah Jones, the musical director, who was positioned just to the side of the stage and produced much of the live music and backing vocals.



If it&#8217;s good old-fashioned and feel-good family fun you&#8217;re after this festive season, Jack and the Beanstalk has nailed it. And with a start time of 6pm, it&#8217;s perfect for the little people who need to be home and tucked up in bed at a decent hour.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1192" height="667" src="https://surrey.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07.jpg" alt="Jack and the Beanstalk, christmas panto 2021, Camberely Theatre" class="wp-image-36963" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07.jpg 1192w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07-300x168.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07-720x403.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07-150x84.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07-768x430.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/surrey/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2021/12/Panto_Jack_Camberley_07-900x504.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1192px) 100vw, 1192px" /></figure>



Good for: Families especially those with young children, fans of more innocent stye of panto. This is a family show at its core.



Not for: It&#8217;s fun and frivolous, and there&#8217;s a smattering of subtle adult humour, don&#8217;t go expecting to cackle at the double entendres at every turn.



Jack and the Beanstalk is at Camberley Theatre until Fri 31 Dec. <a href="https://www.camberleytheatre.co.uk/events/jack-and-beanstalk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="camberleytheatre.co.uk (opens in a new tab)">camberleytheatre.co.uk</a>

Panto review: Jack and the Beanstalk at Camberley Theatre

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