Jack and the Beanstalk at The Corn Hall in Diss was pantomime at its very best
Coming in from the cold into The Corn Hall in Diss, we were greeted with ‘Welcome to Panto’ by one of its many volunteers.
It is that magical time of year again and the offering in the St Nicholas Street venue was Jack and the Beanstalk.
The venue’s auditorium was packed when me and my nine-year-old daughter Ellie sat down for the show.
From the get go, with the place put into darkness and the booming voice of the giant Blunderbore we were put straight into action.
Jack, played by Dylan Morgan, truly brought the main character to life and with Princess Jill, played by Chloe Walker, they played a fantastic dynamic duo throughout.
Making her professional and pantomime debut as the narrator Spirit of the Beans, Evie Forsdicke brought joy, positivity and happiness which was perfectly performed and balanced against the pantomime villain Baroness Blunderbore, played by Harriet Chambers.
You could tell the latter has played previous panto baddies, getting the beautifully timed boos and hiss from the whole audience - it is always a panto highlight for me.
But Ellie and I felt two performers stood out the most.
With his wit as plentiful as his change of costumes and an Eurythmics-inspired song about cheese that I just loved, Dave Short’s Dame Trott was simply brilliant.
He had the audience in the palm of his hand all the way through and we all laughed along with him.
The second was the man who has given this show national coverage on the likes of ITV’s This Morning and Heart Radio, Jefferson Parlett playing Simple/Silly Simon.
Making his panto debut and being one of the world’s first graduates to earn a Master’s degree in Pantomime, he was an absolute favourite with the pair of us and I am sure the rest of the crowd.
A special mention should also go to senior dancers Emily Buckle and Jasmine Kibble (who also both played Mootilda the Cow) as well as the whole junior ensemble who did not miss a beat and gave so much passion to every musical number.
With in jokes about Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and the traffic congestion on Victoria Road, so many laughs and catchy recognisable songs, this truly was a great family night out.
If you love a great pantomime in all its glory, go and see Jack and the Beanstalk at The Corn Hall in Diss, you definitely will not be disappointed.
Jack and the Beanstalk runs at The Corn Hall in Diss until December 29.
