Jack and the Beanstalk
The Helix, Dublin
****

"Get up and dance with me" sing the entire cast of Jack and the Beanstalk at the start of this pantomime. This child-friendly adaptation of the lyrics from the song Walk the Moon sets the tone for what is arguably Dublin's most traditional pantomime. There is no room for prima donnas and very little space for double entendres and adult-only jokes in this show, directed by Claire Tighe of Theatreworx Productions.

The cast includes Liam Butler as the gaudy and garrulous Dame Lola Lotts (Jack’s mother), Eoin Cannon as the marvellously mischievous Prof Ploncouer, Aidan Mannion as his hilariously inept son, Howaya, and Orla Jennings, ably playing the role of Jill. The story is set in Ballybrutal, a town hit by recession, whose quirky mayor, Dandini (Adam Lynch), is excited by a proposal to build a theme park, Happy Land. Alas, this is just a cunning scheme to buy out the Lotts’s cottage, which is built on an important fairy fort. There follows the sale of Daisy (a charming cow), the fast growth of a sleek beanstalk and a visit to the giant’s den to steal the golden eggs.

Danielle Williamson charmingly plays the pantomime fairy, but she seems even more suited to her extra role as the giant’s wicked minder, Mortabulous.

There are plenty of laughs throughout – Adele's Hello is used well, as is a remix of Teresa Mannion's Storm Desmond broadcast on RTÉ – and the children love a Minions piece. Niall Sheedy, however, doesn't carry the role of Jack with enough gusto, and his sidekick, Buddy (Colin Hughes), doesn't really cut the mustard. Otherwise, go forth and enjoy the singing, dancing and the farcical drama that unfolds in this production of this enduring fairy tale. Until Jan 10