Gala Night of Jack and the Beanstalk at Tamworth Assembly Rooms arrived last night. The show takes a little time to warm up, but once it finds its rhythm, it delivers a wonderfully chaotic pantomime packed with laughs, audience interaction and plenty of festive fun.
The opening scenes feel slightly slow as the story sets up life on Jack Trott’s struggling dairy farm. However, as the action builds, the pace lifts and the show quickly grows into a lively, giggle-filled production brimming with cheeky humour and playful mayhem.
The story follows Jack Trott, forced to sell his beloved cow Daisy for a suspicious bag of magic beans when his mum, Dotty Trott, finds herself short on money. From there, the panto hits its stride with lots of audience participation, clever call-and-response moments and uniquely modified cover versions of popular songs. Audience members may wish to come prepared – a raincoat is sensible for the water pistols, and a helmet wouldn’t go amiss when the famous flying toilet rolls make an appearance. Ha!
I felt this year’s staging was elevated by some impressive extras, including a large animatronic giant, a towering beanstalk that had a few children by me gasping in delight, adding an extra layer of excitement and polish to the show.
Ricardo Alexander is gloriously villainous as Fleshcreep, clearly relishing every boo from the audience. Olivia-Joy Shepherd brings charm and humour as Daisy the cow (quite possibly my husbands favourite character of the evening), while William Witt’s Jack Trott is warm and likeable – it is nice to see him have some solo singing moments. Jack Gamble brings plenty of comedy in the role of cash-strapped Dotty Trott.
Lauren Margaret sparkles as Fairy Flora, delivering plenty of rhyming lines – until it’s suddenly not the thyme or the place – she is a loveable character and my girls were chuffed to meet her after the show.
Charlie Mills adds to the silliness of the show as Mayor Crumble. His daughter, Jill Crumble, played by Chelsie Faulks, brings impressive vocals to her role. I would like to see more of Chelsie singing.
Writer and director Sam Beech appears on stage as Simon Trott, Jack’s brother, and is the engine of the show. His easy rapport with the audience ensures participation is high and the laughter keeps building throughout.
Following the sell-out success of Cinderella and Goldilocks & The Three Bears, this extended run proves Tamworth’s panto magic is going from strength to strength. With the return of the Tamworth Panto Band – and quite possibly the world-famous 12 Days of Tamworth – this is a family-friendly pantomime that finishes on a real high.
A joyful, chaotic show that grows in confidence as it goes on. I’m already looking forward to seeing the panto that they do next year.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A giant amount of fun”
Book your tickets here https://www.tamworthpanto.co.uk/
The show is running until Sunday 18 January 2026.
Disclaimer: We were invited along to the Gala Night of Jack and the Beanstalk. All thoughts and opinions are entirely our own.