Jack Off the Beanstalk ★★★☆☆

★★★☆☆ — Jack Off the Beanstalk

Jack Off the Beanstalk is adult panto at its queerest, filthiest and most gloriously off-the-rails.

From the moment the show begins, it goes straight for it. There’s no gentle introduction here: expect sex jokes, queer jokes, literal jokes, ridiculous puns and just about every variety of humour that firmly earns that 18+ warning. It’s stupid, silly, sex-positive and completely unapologetic about what it is.

Playing in a big theatre with the audience concentrated into the front couple of rows creates an unexpectedly intimate atmosphere and nowhere feels particularly safe from becoming part of the action. Audience participation is central to the experience, and sometimes you might find yourself involved whether you enthusiastically volunteered or not. Consider yourself warned.

There’s a deliberately loose quality to proceedings. Parts feel scripted, others improvised, and there are plenty of moments where the cast appear determined to make each other crack. Rather than fighting the chaos, Jack Off the Beanstalk embraces it. The result is theatrical tomfoolery that frequently feels like it could derail completely and that’s largely the point.

Not every gag lands, and the looseness occasionally works against the overall pace and polish of the production. But when the jokes hit, they hit with exactly the naughty, inappropriate punch this kind of adult panto needs.

If you want sophisticated, restrained theatre, keep climbing past this particular beanstalk. But if you’re after an afternoon chuckle, aren’t easily offended and enjoy laughing at jokes you know you probably shouldn’t, Jack Off the Beanstalk delivers exactly the filthy fun it promises.

★★★☆☆