Jack’s dysfunctional family is a troupe of timeless circus performers, The Circus Legume, who fall upon hard times and exchange their loveable camel for magic beans. The story runs along perfectly with Gary Bridgens returning as Ida Bean, the brilliantly risqué dame cast as a fortune teller down on her luck – a not so small medium at large.

Clowning around in true Grimaldi style is the doom-laden giant, Mighty Mung, a huge puppet clown, beautifully animated by Jake England-John. He also produces a sizzling performance as the ringmaster as well as a ridiculously silly little Mungo, who wears shoes on his knees.

When she’s not dangling upside down playing the saxophone, Natalie Verhaegen makes the boos count as bad girl Hettie Heinz, a sort of Lady Gaga meets Jessica Ennis character.

There’s so much fabulous stuff going on in Tony Lidington’s insane creation with aerial acrobats and tumbling, juggling and trapezes, there’s even real tweeting from the brilliant local youth theatre from cloud land and a human canon ball.

I also spotted Lighting Designer and Production Manger, Tony Wilcock, crawling on his belly amongst the lighting rigs to aid the beanstalk antics. Now that’s commitment. This is buffoonery at its very best, amazing and unmissable.”

Helen Brown

Picture: Dave Cooil