Jack and the Beanstalk – Lyric Hammersmith

Written by Sonia Jalalay and directed by Nicholai La Barrie, Lyric Hammersmith’s new production of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn’t totally follow the classic pantomime story.

Introducing the story is the Fairy Godfather (a hilarious Jade Hackett), who explains that the people of Hammersmith are in a critical imagination deficit. With an ‘imagination meter’ framing the whole stage, our Fairy Godfather wants us to hit the top level of HEIOMGN: Huge-Epic-Imagination-OMG-Nirvana. The big problem? The ruthless, authoritarian Fleshcreep Academy.

John Partridge hams it up — literally, donning a pepperoni-print suit — as the cruel Fleshcreep, instilling rules such as “no singing”, “no dancing” and “no joy” as part of his educational regime. His greatest punishment for children is sending them up to the Giant, who feeds on their imaginations.

Terrorising the students both on stage and in moments where he pops up in the Circle, Partridge brings both villainy and silliness to the role. A particular highlight is his maniacal performance of ‘Pretty Fly’ (For a Bad Guy), in which he’s flanked by dancing Ofsted inspectors and sporting a red MEGA (Make Education Great Again) cap.

The emotional core of the story is the relationship between Jack (Joey James) and his older sister Jill (Sienna Widd), as they have to band together to defeat the Giant and Fleshcreep. Jack is a shy, nervous boy who seeks solace in his imaginary sock puppet friend Sockface, while Jill is the cool girl who’s not afraid of rebellion. While you have to suspend slightly more than your usual amount of panto disbelief to believe that the adult James is a young boy starting school, as soon as he opens his mouth to sing and rap, I completely understood the casting choice. His singing voice displays a beautiful amount of vulnerability, while his superb rap skills kick the energy of the show into the stratosphere. Newcomer Widd is equally compelling, balancing confidence with heart — as well as some fierce vocals and dance skills. Rounding out the cast is their mother Momma Trott (Sam Harrison), the raucous and glitzy dame who brings a healthy dose of camp to proceedings.

Jack and the Beanstalk is packed full of musical numbers, with electric choreography from Kayla Lomas-Kirton. Composer and Arranger Corin Buckeridge creates lyrically tweaked versions of popular hits, from the expected (KPop Demon Hunters’s Golden, Raye’s WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!) to the unexpected (Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax’s Victory Lap, JADE’s IT Girl). Occasionally there are sound issues that prevent us hearing some of the very well written new lyrics, but the energy levels never drop, and the musical numbers give the show a great sense of pace.

Act One is very slick and polished, but the most joyful moments happen in Act Two, where intricate plot is less of a concern and the irreverent spirit of panto truly comes into play, including a “sock and spoon” race with children from the audience and an audience singalong of “Glory, glory, Hammersmith!”

Georgia Lowe’s set and costume design offers up an overflowing buffet of visual treats to complement the action. From Mama Trott’s larger-than-life colourful costumes to big set pieces such as a Gruel machine (which looks spookily similar to a Huel dispenser), it appears that no expense has been spared in bringing this magical world to life.

But aside from the visuals, most of this magic comes from the cast — especially the Fairy Godfather, who becomes a frequent scene-stealer thanks to Hackett. While Jack and the Beanstalk contains most of your usual panto tropes and family-friendly platitudes, La Barrie has elevated this production with so much fun and joy that you can’t help but get involved with the final dance to Pink Pony Club. It’s a jolly festive treat for West Londoners this Christmas.

Jack and the Beanstalk is playing at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until 4th January. Buy tickets here: https://lyric.co.uk

Reviewer: Olivia Cox

Reviewed: 22nd November 2025

North West End UK Rating: