In the past, pantomimes provided seasonal employment for TV stars who were not really interested in the genre and would recite their catchphrases and get off stage as quickly as they could. In Manchester’s Jack and the Beanstalk, on the other hand, the principals are so involved, they shape the storyline around their stand-up routines.
Author Harry Michaels takes a few liberties with the well-known storyline: the goose that lays golden eggs and the magic golden harp are omitted and Jack gains a brother and a sweetheart. Rather than steal treasure, Jack is on a rescue mission. Jason Manford goes so far as to query the additional characters, plot deviations and his own casting, pointing out he is too old for the role of Jack and his knees aren’t up to climbing a beanstalk.
Jack Trot’s village is menaced by Blunderbore, a giant who regularly snacks on the farm animals captured by his wife, Mrs Blunderbore (Myra DuBois). Jack (Jason Manford) is determined to end the practice, particularly when the giant kidnaps his sweetheart, Princess Jill (Emma Williams). Always eager to acquire new livestock, Mrs Blunderbore tricks Jack into trading the family cow for a sack of beans, but the joke is on her as The Spirit of the Beans (Samara Casteallo) enchants the legumes, enabling Jack and his brother Silly Simon (Ben Nickless) to gain entry to the giant’s lair.
Manford and Nickless are credited with providing additional material, and their contribution is substantial. Both perform extracts from their stand-up routines, Manford offering nostalgic observational comedy while Nickless adds impressions ("Feed the World" sung by a variety of celebrities) and slightly more saucy gags. Myra DuBois gets in on the joke, gleefully teasing the audience and demanding one poor soul regularly jump up and vocally defend Mrs Blunderbore’s honour.
In the second act, Manford and Nickless adopt the routine perfected by the likes of Abbott and Costello and Morecambe and Wise, where one character takes himself very seriously and the other plays dumb insolence. They even dust off the old "when I nod my head you hit it" gag.
The cast delight the audience by acknowledging the area in which the show takes place, in particular Ben Nickless, who rattles off in song the many local places he has visited. Jason Manford pays tribute to the warmth of the audiences at Manchester’s Opera House and Palace theatres who are, he maintains, appreciated by all performers—except the cast of The Bodyguard.
Rather than classic pop hits, the songs in the show ‘borrow’ well-known melodies for original songs including Jack crooning "If You Leave Me Cow".
With so much comedy material added to the show, some of the aspects of the traditional plot are trimmed and Samara Casteallo and Emma Williams have less to do than might usually be the case. This is not to say the cast do not respect the pantomime genre; on the contrary, they go to extremes to include as many routines as possible, including a slapstick sequence involving Ben Nickless firing a water pistol into the delighted audience while being smacked on the backside by a truncheon.
Promoted as "The Giant Pantomime Spectacular", the show does not stint on spectacle. The Twins FX provides a massive ogre puppet who fills the full stage and leers menacingly towards the audience. Rather than climb the beanstalk, Jack and Silly Simon take flight in a Back to the Future-style car flying over the first few rows of the stalls. "You don’t get this in Hamilton" points out Manford.
The affection felt by the cast for the pantomime genre is apparent in the way they secure massive participation from the young audience. Barely a minute goes by without the house lights going up for a chat with patrons or for a call-and-response routine. Manford is, however, nonplussed in the part of the show where youngsters are brought on stage to lead the audience in a rendition of "Old Macdonald had a Farm" to find a 65-year-old man has crashed the party.
Although Jack and the Beanstalk may not include all of the story’s classic features, the respect shown by the cast for the pantomime genre and their endless enthusiasm ensures the show is an ideal festive entertainment.