Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Review: Big tick for Waipawa M&D's Jack and the Beanstalk

Hawkes Bay Today
29 Nov, 2019 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The cast of Waipawa M&D's production of Roger Hall's Jack and the Beanstalk. Photo / Vivienne Haldane

The cast of Waipawa M&D's production of Roger Hall's Jack and the Beanstalk. Photo / Vivienne Haldane

The Waipawa M&D's Christmas Pantomime - Jack and the Beanstalk - is billed as fabulous family entertainment.

So I grabbed the nearest child, which thankfully was my 8-year-old grandson Jhasper so I'm not currently wanted for kidnapping, and we went along.

Jhasper has only been to live theatre once before and there was a lot of wriggling in his seat, asking loud questions and declaring himself hungry, thirsty and bored.

Fast forward to the CHB Municipal Theatre and the curtain raising on Jack and the Beanstalk ...

Jhas asked one question about the set, then he sat looking intently as the action unfurled on stage. The colours, the lighting and the larger-than-life character of Jack's mum (Madeleine Howard) captured his attention. The stage filled with singing and dancing children for the opening number.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Jack (Ben Berry) and his Mum (Madeleine Howard). Photo / Vivienne Haldane
Jack (Ben Berry) and his Mum (Madeleine Howard). Photo / Vivienne Haldane

When the dust settled, Jhas turned to me with an ecstatic grin and said, with wide shining eyes ... "I love it!"

When the stage darkened for the first scene change, he looked forlorn. "It is finished?" he asked and was relieved to hear that no, it hadn't.

I was pleased it hadn't too.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Madeleine Howard was hamming it up to perfection, her singing voice is a treat and her energy onstage is astonishing. Danny Priestly is a hilarious Butcher Bob, he was right into character and his comedy timing is just gold. Another astonishing voice ... he's a singer/songwriter in his own right but this is a comedic Danny we need to see more of.

Butcher Bob - played with great gusto by Danny Priestly. Photo / Vivienne Haldane
Butcher Bob - played with great gusto by Danny Priestly. Photo / Vivienne Haldane

The panto - a Roger Hall take on the old favourite - is in itself hilarious. There's more than enough grown-up humour to keep the adults laughing, while the slapstick and the action keeps the kids on the edge of their seats.

The characters ... where do I start? Some are caricatures of Kiwi stalwarts of any small community ... the hippy dippy Aunty Pam (Suzanne McLaren), the spoiled rich girl Paris Stilton. Even happy-go-lucky country boy Jack (played with great talent and enthusiasm by Ben Berry) is recognisable.

But wait till you see the bizarre, the quirky, the outrageous Betsy The Cow.

Betsy is a scene stealer. It's newcomer to the Muni stage Dean Alsop under all that leather, and I challenge you to take your eyes off this ham of a cow. Even if you did, you'd look back when Dean lets loose with his singing voice. A wow moment right there.

There are other gorgeous quirks and treats in store - the most wonderful whimsical Goosey (Abby O'Kane), the silent mime/dance/comedy blend that is Claude Back (Jordy Jackson) and the most adorable bossy border guard ever (the minute Piper Harrison).

Professional performer Mary Kippenberger makes it back on her local stage for this production, and as the evil Mrs Stilton she's just divine.

The slithery Claude Back and the thoroughly evil Mrs Stilton. Photo / Vivienne Haldane
The slithery Claude Back and the thoroughly evil Mrs Stilton. Photo / Vivienne Haldane

This panto is high-energy, with loads of colour, lots of laughs, the kids in the dance crew fill the stage with joy, the actors are polished and they look like they are having way too much fun up there.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Last words to my co-reviewer, Jhasper, aged 8: "Nanny, I loved it, can we see it again?"

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Plan to drill wastewater pipe under Clive River withdrawn amid opposition

08 Jul 02:32 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke’s Bay Magpies land another Super Rugby star for upcoming NPC campaign

07 Jul 11:17 PM
Premium
Hawkes Bay Today

'100% a crisis': More than 900 women wait for specialist gynaecology care in Hawke’s Bay

07 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Plan to drill wastewater pipe under Clive River withdrawn amid opposition

Plan to drill wastewater pipe under Clive River withdrawn amid opposition

08 Jul 02:32 AM

'We are in a position where we will have to find alternatives.'

Hawke’s Bay Magpies land another Super Rugby star for upcoming NPC campaign

Hawke’s Bay Magpies land another Super Rugby star for upcoming NPC campaign

07 Jul 11:17 PM
Premium
'100% a crisis': More than 900 women wait for specialist gynaecology care in Hawke’s Bay

'100% a crisis': More than 900 women wait for specialist gynaecology care in Hawke’s Bay

07 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

Editorial: Coronial inquest into deaths in flooding will hurt - hopefully it will also help

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP