CULTURE EDITION
For many, a trip to the CUADC/Footlights Panto in Cambridge is the first sign that the festive season has begun (oh yes it has!) and, this year, Jack and the Beanstalk is gracing the stage. You might think producing such a well-known panto is not that surprising, until you look at the list of ADC pantos over the last 55 years and discover that this is only the second time Jack and the Beanstalk has ever been performed at the theatre. The first production was in 1977, when the theatre looked very different – before the new box office had been conceived of, the auditorium greatly altered and long before the advent of online ticketing. The beanstalk is one of the main challenges for any production of this panto. How do you create a beanstalk that can grow into the clouds and then be climbed by Jack? Well in 1977 they went to great lengths, according to stage manager Roger Snow, and Elwyn Davies, who is listed in the programme (a copy of which is kept in the archive at the University Library) with the glorious title of ‘Director of the Beanstalk’. “The beanstalk grew out of the scene dock below the stage,” Roger explained. “One of the trapdoors was removed and I constructed a replacement with a smaller hatch, which was opened for the last scene in the first half. Just before the interval, a small beanstalk made from a broomstick was poked up through the hole. During the interval, the main beanstalk was brought from the scene dock through the trapdoor. It was constructed from wood and chicken wire, I think, with large leaves made of canvas. It must have been at least 15 feet high. The top was attached to a flyline by which it could be raised.” Once the beanstalk had grown, the actor asked, “How did that happen?” and Jim Nimmo, the flyman up above the stage, would yell: ‘Fertilizer!’ Though in the final performance, Jim changed the line to ‘liquid fertilizer!’ and sprayed the actors below with a squirt bottle! THE BEANSTALK… BACK IN TIME Operations manager Patrick Nielsen looks into the ADC Theatre archive
Over the years, the ADC Theatre and Footlights have started the careers of many successful actors, comedians and directors – and that production back in 1977 was no different. One of the cast, playing Princess L’amour, was Jan Ravens, who went on to star in many shows including Dead Ringers . She was also the voice of the Cadbury’s Caramel Bunny. “In one pantomime,” Roger admitted, “I set Jan’s dress on fire with a flashbox, but I think that was Cinderella !” Visit adctheatre.com for tickets to see this year’s performance!
Ivor Novello success
A CHRISTMAS CAROL REIMAGINED Cambridge’s Corkscrew Theatre Company has announced its Christmas production will be the world premiere of local composer and playwright Geoff Page’s new adaptation of A Christmas Carol . Lesley Ford directs a talented cast of singers, actors and puppeteers, including David John, Will Males, Naomi Mallabone, Emma Harpley and Matt Johns, with Matt Wilkinson as Scrooge in this festive show, which takes place on 14 December at The Village Hall, Ickleton, and 20 December at The Atrium Theatre, Chesterton. “We’ve taken a familiar story and infused it with every ounce of theatre magic – beautiful new songs, characterful puppets and performances to delight the whole family. It’s A Christmas Carol like you’ve never seen it,” said Lesley. Visit ticketsource.co.uk/corkscrew-theatre to book your tickets now
Composer Jonathan Dove – a Trinity College, University of Cambridge alumnus – was presented with his fourth Ivor Novello Award for Uprising , a community opera co-commissioned by Saffron Hall Trust and Glyndebourne. Focusing on the climate crisis, the opera aims to inspire real change, using a fictional family to emphasise the universality and timelessness of this particular cause.
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK DECEMBER 2025 23
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