Last Updated on December 1, 2025
Raucous and risqué fun that’s really well done
4.5 out of 5.0 starsThis is the second year that the King’s Head Theatre (KHT) has put on special 18+ performances of its otherwise family-friendly Christmas pantomime. It was my first time visiting the KHT in its current venue, which opened in 2024 in a new building behind the King’s Head Pub. Previously London’s oldest pub theatre, the KHT is now an Off-West End theatre that ‘celebrates the LGBTQ+ community’. Four floors below the ground, the purpose-built auditorium seats at least 200 people with a well-sized stage area.
I was looking forward to seeing the production, as I love a good panto (emphasis on ‘good’) and the friend I was with had really enjoyed KHT’s Cinderella last year. The big draw for the adults-only performances is that, in addition to being risqué versions of the standard production, each one features a different ‘very special guest’. Many of these are RuPaul’s Drag Race UK alumni. There were several in the audience at press night, and my friend told me that the two drag queens who we’d be watching – Victoria Scone (as Dame Trott) and guest star Kate Butch – were both very funny. He was right.
It was clear immediately that this was a musical pantomime with high production values and even higher energy levels, made by and starring people who know what they are doing – even if some of the jokes deliberately suggest that they don’t. Written and directed by Andrew Pollard, the traditional story of Jack and the Beanstalk is reimagined and set in Islington, with Jack (Elliott Baker-Costello) and his mother Dame Trott owning an ice cream parlour. Jack’s best friend is the family’s cow, Pat, who doesn’t like to be milked. When a greedy giant demands more money in rent than the Trotts have, the giant’s representative, the evil Nightshade, tricks Jack into selling Pat in exchange for some magic beans. Jack has to find his courage and fight the giant, helped by his love interest Jill (Priscille Grace), a local fruit shop owner, and the magical Fairy FullofBeans (Mia Ito Smith).
The script is witty with loads of verbal and physical gags and cultural references, ranging from PG to non-PG (and also occasionally, with a knowing wink, non-PC). There are a lot of songs, many of which are pleasingly well-known bangers. The set design by Jake Evans is deceptively simple in an effective way, and the lighting design by Alex Lewer really enhances the mood and movement. Speaking of the latter: this is top-notch, with an excellent and really quite clever comedic ballet scene and lots of well-performed controlled freneticism. Victoria Scone was the standout, with a commanding charisma as she worked the audience. She had some surprisingly impressive dance moves and some cracking ad-libs. Pavanveer Sagoo camped it up beautifully as the cow Pat, with lots of bovine puns. Joseph Lukehurst as Nightshade was excellent as the cheeky villain with a codpiece. The costumes by Eve Oakley were all superb, and Dame Trott certainly had a lot of them, including a few fetching Katy Perry-esque numbers. Kate Butch’s star turn in Act 2 as the Magic Harp was very funny, with her performing the lyrics of a 2002 pop classic to the melody of an iconic musical theatre song with some droll asides.
The show ran longer than billed – although it started late – but the entire production was great fun, with all the audience participation and panto tropes you’d expect and want. We called out catchphrases, we did ‘he’s behind you’, we were mocked by Dame Trott, we got up on our feet to sing Y.M.C.A., and we laughed at all the smut. (And, in my case, went home fighting the urge to Google a certain phrase that sounded quite innocent but clearly definitely wasn’t.)
The Adults Only performances, which have a different special guest star each night, are on the following dates, and you can book tickets here:
28 & 29 November 2025
4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 23, 27 & 30 December 2025
3 January 2026
King’s Head Theatre
116p Upper Street
London N1 1QP
Looking for something different? Check our review of A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic
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