Back with their eighth production of Jack & The Beanstalk, Portsmouth’s Kings Theatre presents a giant pantomime just in time to get us all into the festive spirit!

The classic tale follows all the fun and whimsical traditions of pantomime, including the iconic ghost bench gag and the hilarious ‘12 Days of Christmas’ routine, whilst putting a hilarious Pompey spin on things. Not only is the show amazingly tailored for the children in the audience but it certainly doesn’t forget its older audience, being just the right amount of camp and crude whilst still delivering a wholesome and fun evening at the theatre. 

Pompey’s own Jack Edwards not only wows the crowd as Dame Trott or as he prefers: ‘a fat man in a dress’! Behind the scenes he leads the charge as the theatre’s Artistic Director and boy, does he deliver. His comic timing is simply impeccable and you can clearly see why he is such a big player in Portsmouth’s theatre scene.

Edwards’ chemistry with on-stage son Billy (James Percy) is incredible, making you wish they would return for more laughs the second they step off the stage! Percy’s comfort on stage as a comedian really shines through, whilst his acting skills leaves us scratching our heads as to whether some things are improvised, with some ‘technical issues’ effortlessly intertwined within the storyline and leaving audiences chuckling even as they leave the theatre.

New player Amy Hart is surprisingly gentle as Princess Jill and her Love Island fame is very cleverly used as a genuinely funny punchline a few times during the show. Hometown hero Sean Smith steps into the role of Jack Trott effortlessly and is just the hero the show needs to defeat the evil Von Badapple (Jacqueline Willis) and the giant.

The show is very creative when it comes to its use of different mediums to create some of the more fantastical elements of the show, such as the giant and the beanstalk. We are genuinely very impressed with the way they pull it off and really draws us into the magic. Besties, we wholehearted recommend catching this amazing panto this festive season.

Kids or not, go and enjoy the fantastical brilliance that is the Pompey Panto!

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Natalie Pedro

Jack and the Beanstalk plays at the King’s Theatre Portsmouth until 2 January 2022, with tickets available here.