Lymm Rugby Club Panto is a Festive Knockout!

World-Famous in Lymm: Rugby Club Panto Launches the Festive Season

This year’s offering – Jack and His GIANT Beanstalk – takes the children’s classic, spikes it with something slightly hallucinogenic and relocates it to the proudly ridiculous village of Lymm-er-ick.

The plot is gleefully ambiguous – but that hardly matters; the joy is in the ride, not the road map!

Over two-and-a-bit riotous hours, the show hurtles from gag to gag, innuendo to innuendo, with barely a moment to catch your breath or your dignity.

You don’t so much follow the story as hang on to it by the seat of your pants.

Cast, characters and chaos

Leading the charge is the endlessly likeable Jack, played with infectious energy and razor-sharp wit by Adam Halford – who seems capable of ad-libbing his way out of any situation – including the odd mishap and audience heckle.

The usual panto favourites – Brian Hope, Sara Worton, Mark Hesketh amongst others deliver exactly what the loyal crowd has come to love: big characters, big laughs and even bigger costumes, all boosted this year by some cracking new faces who slot in as if they’ve been doing this for decades.

Together they create an onstage chemistry that feels less like a cast and more like a slightly unhinged family Christmas that you’re delighted to be gate-crashing.

Vaudeville, ventriloquism and vintage gags

This panto isn’t content with just oh yes it is and he’s behind you.

It happily raids the entire British comedy cupboard – with a dash of vaudeville, a side of music hall and a generous helping of cheek.

Charlie the dummy (plus his extended family) pops up with beautifully timed interventions, while a volley of old-school, Tommy Cooper–style gags lands with gleeful thuds of laughter around the room.

Add in a playlist of cleverly twisted sing-along numbers – repurposed for a “mature” audience – and shoehorned into the story with shameless abandon – and you get a crowd belting out lyrics they probably can’t repeat at work on Monday!

The beating heart of the club

Somewhere in the whirlwind of jokes, wigs and questionable props, you forget that it’s not seasoned professionals front and back stage – but club players and volunteers who have day jobs, families and lives beyond the spotlight.

What they share on that stage and behind the scenes is time, talent and a huge amount of heart – all in aid of keeping the club thriving for another year.

The room may be tightly packed (think sardines), but that closeness only adds to the atmosphere – laughter bounces off the walls, and you can almost feel the tradition of 39 previous pantos humming under the floorboards.

In praise of Simon Plumb

At the centre of this annual madness sits the quietly evil genius of writer and creator Simon Plumb, whose imagination and scriptwriting once again provide the perfect playground for the cast.

He has an uncanny knack for blending local references, outrageous wordplay and just enough filth to make the audience wheeze with laughter while still feeling oddly wholesome.

Year after year he conjures a show that feels fresh, familiar and fearlessly original all at once – no small feat for a production approaching its 40th outing.

Quite simply, without Simon’s pen there’d be no beanstalk, giant or otherwise.

Leaving Lymm-er-ick

As the cast took their final bows to a well-earned standing ovation, the spell slowly lifted and the audience stepped out into the icy night, cheeks aching and sides gently bruised from laughter.

Yet there was a definite warmth that lingered – the kind of shared silliness and the joy of being utterly, gloriously entertained together.

For a couple of hours, everyday worries were left at the door as we were whisked away to the madcap kingdom of Lymm-er-ick, where giants loom, jokes fly and absolutely nothing has to make sense.

Once again, Lymm Rugby Club has delivered a night to remember – and firmly staked its claim as the true, chaotic start of Christmas.

Jack and his Giant Beanstalk runs at Lymm Rugby Club until Sunday 7th December.

Tickets are now sold out, but it’s worth checking directly with Lymm Rugby Club if any have become available.