IT’S WONDERFUL to be back says Imagine Theatre’s director, Steve Boden.
He is masterminding Jack and the Beanstalk, taking Justin Fletcher’s ideas and helping him and the cast turn them into reality.
While last year wasn’t the full panto experience due to covid restrictions in place at the time, audiences can expect the works.
“To be back in a year when we can bring the entire team back, and see the return of the youngsters (in the ensemble) and put together a brand-new panto for everyone in Reading … it’s just such a wonderful experience,” he says.
“Justin and I are really looking at how we retell the story of Jack and the Beanstalk in a fun and modern way. Without giving too much away, there’s going to be a lot of comedy, a lot of fun, and some brand-new routines.
“I think particularly for the younger audience, they’ll discover the story in a way that perhaps they’ve not seen before. All the classic ingredients will be there: the giant, the beanstalk, the beautiful cow Buttercup, and some great characters.”
Steve is delighted that Justin will once again team up with his panto partner, Paul Morse.
“It’s so nice that the pair of them have such a great rapport together and audiences react so strongly to them,” he explains.
“People message us all year round, telling us there are certain parts of the pantomimes they just love seeing – they love the slapstick routine, they love the ghost routine.”
And they’ve loved the balloon routine. This was a moment of slapstick comedy where Justin and Paul pretend to be ballet dancers using a balloon to help them with their delicate dance steps.
During the entire scene, they only speak one word – balloon – and never fail to bring the house down. No wonder it was rewarded at the Pantomime Awards this year.
“It’s important that we bring in new material, but we’re also not afraid to give audiences what they want,” Steve says.
“There’s something about pantomime audiences like … familiarity. They like the safety of it. They love the characters of Justin and Paul because they work so well together, and they’re really funny.”
