Aladdin

In these days of political and gender correctness, it's so refreshing to see that Whitkirk managed to present a real pantomime and at the same time, ticked all the boxes for a production very much in the present. The Director and Choreographer, Kirsten Moore, had brought together an excellent mix of actors to bring old Peking/new Bejing to life - we had a strong Aladdin, played by a girl, a suitably sweet Princess Jasmine, also a girl, a great Widow Twankey, played by a man - so far, so traditional! Abanazar entered as a glamorous Auntie, but as equally fierce as I have seen any man play the part - followed by a female Wishee Washee and two policemen, Sgt. Shui and PC Feng, also in the guise of principal boys. By contrast, So-Shy was a man, no problem with that! The Genie of the Lamp, Spirit of the Ring and the Emperor were all in traditional mode! The cast worked very hard to give a packed house the very best seasonal entertainment. The Musical Director, Louise Norbury-Robinson, had once again used her good musical knowledge for some interesting musical numbers to enhance the production (I just loved the words of 'Waterloo' changed to 'Old Peking'!) Whitkirk's productions are always a team effort and as always, backstage and front-of-house crews worked hard to create the right atmosphere for the show. One lovely touch was the magic carpet sequence, when Aladdin and Jasmine were elevated on their ride back to Peking - very atmospheric with dry ice! I was impressed by the clever and interesting dialogue written by Matthew Maisey (one to watch) - some very up-to-date references and well-delivered by the cast. I must give credit to the small chorus, who didn't have a lot to do but were all note and step perfect (with help from Helen Thomson, the Dance Captain!)

Altogether, a good production for both adults and children - an interesting twist on the traditional song-sheet was some magic tricks performed by the Genie,assisted by a most amusing Spirit of the Ring! An excellent pantomime all round!

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.