Little Lark of London

“Twist and sprout!”

As one might expect from the title, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk, takes the classic pantomime and transforms it into an almost concert-like experience, with actor musicians taking over the Liverpool Everyman, with the second level of the set (designed by Katie Scott) being transformed into a space for the musicians to perform when not acting on the main stage. The pantomime, written by Chloë Moss and directed by Kash Arsha, takes Jack and the Beanstalk and brings it into a world of crystals and magic – along with some awesome musical numbers!

Audience members are welcomed to the world of pantomime by Fairy Spacecake (Adam Keast), who explains the situation – Jack (Malek Alkoni) and his mother, Dame Vera (Liam Tobin), are running a shop called The Cosmic Crystals, and aspiring fairy Jill (Amy Bastani) must join forces with them to prevent the evil Alan Sucre (Zoe West) and Roginald (Theo Diedrick) from taking over. As one would expect from a pantomime, the plot is not the most important or thought-out aspect of the production as a whole, with much more effort being put into the jokes and musical numbers than the story. 

Jamie Noar has done a great job in arranging the music for this pantomime, allowing the performers to put their twist on a range of genres. There are plenty of songs for audience members of all ages to sing along to, with the adults enjoying the more rock ‘n’ roll numbers like “Help!” by The Beatles and the younger ones joyfully shrieking when pop hits like “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters started. A highlight of the show is the performances by Elaine Hua Jones and Rebecca Levy, who take on several roles throughout the show (including Levy having the creative credit of Choreographer). Hua Jones is great as both Daisy the Cow and the Goose, perfectly expressing each of these characters through physicality and expressions alone, while Levy brings the house down as the angsty Ruby, playing guitar and singing Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” as an anthem for misfits. 

All of the cast members are talented, but some, including Malkoni as Jack, are underutilised. Even the delightful Tobin as Dame Vera doesn’t have as much stage time as one would hope, including a strong number being cut off before reaching its finale. While most of Scott’s set is pretty impressive and matches the vibes of the show as a whole, the titular beanstalk is a bit disappointing, taking away from the big Act One finale of “The Climb.” The idea of a crystal beanstalk is interesting, but having it in two separate pieces that are barely connected makes one worry for the safety of Alkoni and Bastanti as they “climb” it themselves. 

Ultimately, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk is a delightful and fresh take on the classic pantomime, with the music bringing another level to the performance as a whole. The brilliant choice to have actor musicians populate the stage enhances the pantomime, and having a small cast allows each performer to shine in their own way. With a little more focus on the story itself, this production could truly climb above the heights of the beanstalk!

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk ran from 15 November 2025 to 17 January 2026 at the Liverpool Everyman. For more information, click here.