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Hackney Empire's annual pantomime is a real London tradition. The Empire doesn't use soap star 'celebrities' but instead has Clive Rowe, the only Olivier Award nominated pantomime dame.

Pantomime is all about men dressing as women and women acting as men and plenty of audience participation.

We get to shout at baddies and laugh at corny jokes and Hackney Empire usually does this the best.

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

For 2010-2011, Hackney Empire has chosen Jack and the Beanstalk for their annual pantomime. Written and directed by Susie McKenna, as ever, the show has some grounding in the basic story of a poor family who need to sell their last cow, and the hapless son Jack who swaps the cow for five magic beans. Plus there's a singing harp, a hen that lays golden eggs and a huge giant. But there are plenty of local and topical references and it's all set in Hackneydale.

Buttercup the cow has a star role but she wasn't a "break-dancing cow" as the posters proclaimed. The giant was fantastically huge and terrifying and many children hid when it first appeared on stage.

Clive Rowe is Dame Daisy, Jack's mother, and another Hackney regular, Kat B, is the Jamaican 'boombastic' snowmaaan. Jaygann Ayeh is a Hackney panto newcomer and stars as Jack which was slightly odd as the 'lead boy' is usually a girl in a panto.

No Health and Safety nonsense this year and sweets are thrown into the crowd and the kids go mad trying to catch them.

Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire is a wonderful old Victorian theater so it was great to be inside again. They've had a difficult year financially so they need the pantomime season to boost their bank balance.

 

Music
There's a mix of original songs and classics, and "I Can't Live (If Living is Without You)" will certainly appeal to the evening audiences. Highlights include Dame Daisy performing Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" and the evil Beans performing the music hall number "How Can You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been a Liar All My Life". Actually the second act had a real 'music hall' feel with tap dancing and group choreography.

Hackney Empire's pantomime now needs Clive Rowe as he is the Dame we all want to see. He does have enormous comedy talent and an amazing singing voice and therefore he was clearly given the best lines of the show, such as: "I'm so poor I can't afford to pay attention". But many jokes fell flat this year and I don't think it was because I saw a children's matinee performance; it simply wasn't as funny as previous years.

I was expecting a lot TV show references to X Factor, etc, but instead it was all TV ad references and jingles. The first few were amusing but we were cringing when they continued throughout.

You May Get Wet!
Water pistols are used and certain evil characters will appear in the stalls and try to spray you. You have been warned! But the indoor snow won't make you wet and was really magical.

 

All The Key Pantomime Formula
Yes, we got to shout, "He's behind you!" and boo and show thumbs down to the baddies. The panto horse is a cow (two people in a costume) and the panto Dame (a man dressed as a woman) throws sweets into the audience. There's some slapstick water throwing and custard pie splatting, and in the second act there's a song and dance for the audience to join in with.

Unusually, pyrotechnics were used to announce the arrival of Sweet Pea, the good fairy, when they usually mean the baddie is coming. Even my four year old asked if the fairy was meant to be good or not.

Fun character names such as 'Off Your Trolley Molly' and 'Silly Billy' didn't bring interesting characters and my daughter cringed at the amount of lovey-dovey stuff.

Maybe these lines sum up the show:
"Do you know what I like about you?"
"What?"
"You can't think of anything either."
It's not terrible but it is certainly not the best pantomime I've seen at Hackney Empire. I won't give up on them and hope next year will be better.

 

Value for Money
It's a long show at 2.5 hours approx. (with an interval).

Booking Details

Dates: 27 November 2010 - 9 January 2011

Tickets: £24.50 - £9.50, concessions and group rates available.

Official Website:www.hackneyempire.co.uk

 

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