Red Bus Londinium Life

Yankl and the Beanstalk, now playing at the Pleasance London, promises to be a queer, Jewish, socialist twist on the panto tradition. In this premise, playwright and Yiddishist, Tamara Micner carries on from the Haimisher pantomimes which became popular in Manchester in the post-war era. Haimisher pantomimes (often by Manchester Jewish playwright Julius Emanuel) took traditional English Pantomimes and incorporated Jewish characters and Yiddish language, songs and humour to give them a Jewish twist.

The Pleasance is an excellent venue for a play of this kind as the cabaret style seating allows for an ease of audience interaction. Dame Reyzel (Guy Woolf) was particularly skillful in this regard: teasing and taunting the targets of his affections and moving amongst the tables with panto-style panache.

The East End setting of a Brick Lane pickle factory in need of unionism is topical in the current zero hours climate and the audience enthusiastically enjoyed booing the Giant’s henchwoman, Lady Mayfair (Mai Weisz).

The Giant is played, in voice only, by national treasure Michael Rosen. I wondered if the night we went the balance of the sound was a little off, as his soundtrack seemed a somewhat quiet. He could have boomed more loudly out across the auditorium to menace us.

The rearrangement of songs in Yiddish was fun. Lyrics were thoughtfully provided and, at one point, the very musically-talented Milly (Romy Ben-Hur) hissed at us, in role, that we had the words. It was a very willing audience who I believe would have sung along, but the lighting was too dark for anyone bar the front row to see any printed materials. Perhaps the lighting could be slightly brought up in these sections or the words projected somewhere?

The eponymous Yankl is effectively played by Nay Oliver Murphy who captures his desire to finally make his bar mitzvah and who shows a real range in his performance.

The play is entertaining, saucy fun. Being Jewish, or understanding Jewish traditions, will enrich the experience though is not essential. Mezuzah, mikvah, challah, shabbas and other words and references, are sprinkled throughout.

More and more UK pantomimes are produced (gloriously, in a glitzily standardised garish and expensive fashion) by Crossroads Pantomimes. Yankl is not that style of polished pantomime, but that is perhaps its strength. It is refreshing to see something cast in a different mould.

[Thank you to the Pleasance theatre for the gifted tickets for an honest review].