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...
