Jack And The Beanstalk At The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool Review

Reviewed by Rebecca Wong

We went to see Jack and the Beanstalk at the Epstein theatre in Liverpool this Easter. This was my first time visiting the theatre. It’s pretty central so is really easy to access with local parking available within just 5 minutes’ walk. It’s a lovely little theatre with really friendly and helpful staff. We had 2 children with us who were very excited, one of which had never been to the theatre before.

Jack and the Beanstalk is the classic tale of the simple lad Jack (played by Timothy Lucas) who always has his head in the clouds since falling for the princess (played by Maddie Hope Coelho). When the family come into trouble and need funds, Jack is sent by his mother (played by Mark Two) to sell the families beloved cow. Unbeknownst to Jack though the evil witch Mrs Fleshcreep (played by Abigail Middleton) has other ideas and Jack has to try and defeat her and her boss – the evil giant in the sky, to redeem himself and rescue back the family cow. With the help of his brother Simple Simon (played by Lewis Devine) and Fairy Mary (played Olivia Sloyan – stand in for Jenna Sian O’Hara) the pair go on an adventure to beat evil and reclaim back what is theirs.

We love a good panto and I have to say this is up there with one of the best I’ve seen. From start to finish we laughed, we shouted we hissed we booed and we sang. The children with us were literally on the edge of their seats throughout, the look of glee on their faces was priceless and they giggled all the way through it. Made even funnier by the scouse standpoint and the extremely talented actors who were able to effortlessly inject local humour, knowledge and references into the story. My personal favourite was the Liverpool song, sang brilliantly by Lewis Devine – just genius and so much talent! Both Lewis Devine and Timothy Lucas’s comedy and interaction with the audience was absolutely hilarious – look out any man who takes a fancy to their ‘ma’.

A favourite of the kids was the UV light show by Ultra Violet Fantasies which was packed full of great music that the kids loved. Regal Entertainment have created a real gem of a panto and the actors are brilliant at making the audience feel a part of the show; bringing us along to have just as much fun as they are and packing in as much humour as possible. Its quite a display of undiluted talent on one stage; a joy to see. Each character brought a different way for the audience to join in and the whole story was kept fresh and current resulting in the perfect scouse panto experience.

If you’re looking for something to do with the family over Easter then Jack and the Beanstalk is an absolute must for both parents and children alike, its packed full with something for everyone and will leave you with face-ache from all the laughing

Rating: I give this panto a 5/5, it was so good I want to see it again! Thank you Regal Entrainment for such a brilliant fun night, you’ve created the perfect recipe of fun, laughter and were totally ‘on it’.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs until 24th April and is a show you MUST see this Easter, so don’t delay and get your tickets from https://www.epsteintheatre.co.uk/ . Tickets cost from £18 each.