Aladdin

~~Swanage Drama Company carried off their latest home-grown panto with aplomb on opening night, in a bright and jolly presentation of ‘Aladdin’. From curtain-up with the evil Abanazar, to the rousing ensemble finale the company really were reaching for the stars, the young and energetic chorus – a good mixture of youthful and more seasoned performers – throwing themselves into the music and the action; the children were lively and with a great sense of fun, speaking up well and reacting to the Principals.
Writers Pat Jones and Brian Travers packed ‘Aladdin’ full of traditional situations and comical characters: James Chelton’s  Genie of the Lamp gave a bold and sparkling performance both in wit and in appearance (has he managed yet to get all that glitter out of the shower, I wonder?), and after centuries of being imprisoned in the lamp, perhaps it was understandable that he kept avoiding the light; Stewart Jones brought a sense of fun to Ghenghis, the Sultan’s side-kick, being very expressive vocally, and with his wobbly head and physical acting skills making the most of the character and the comedy of the situation; Jade Matthews and Lauren Birch animated Hump the Camel to create a charming and lovable character, looked after lovingly by Rosemary Smith as Aladdin’s brainless brother, Wishee Washee, who delighted us all by throwing camel droppings into the auditorium; Pat Jones made a lively Slave of the Ring - a zany, sometimes sulky Twitter-head, perfectly linking ancient and modern; Tom Eastcott-Jones and Zach Wright made an amusing comedy duo as the Palace Guards, Ben Him and Ben Hur, each a foil for the other; Jacqui Chater created a kindly character in Madonna Kebab, the Royal Nanny; Holly Gate and Carly Burgess were charming Courtiers to the Princess; Rob Foster and Stuart Wright were comical prisoners, and David Christie had a cameo moment as the white-robed Vicar.
Hannah Chelton created a cheery and positive character in Aladdin, despite the efforts of a desperate Widow Twankey (Brian Travers) to make him face up to his responsibilities at the family laundry.  Robert Diment-Davies was a consistent Abanazar, always at his best when doing his worst, and making evil use of his hypnotic Vulture Staff, and there was a particularly good rapport between Abanazar and Ghenghis.  Michael Peden played a snooty, dictatorial Sultan.  Rosemary Horn made a very pretty Princess Maria and was a bright presence on-stage, with her lovely voice and good acting skills.
The choice of modern, up-tempo songs was excellent for this pantomime, raising the energy levels and encouraging audience participation.  A particular highlight was ‘How Will I Know?’, sung by the Princess in her clear, high pop voice, supported by her Courtiers; another was ‘Sax’ which opened the second act, a great number with the boys in shades and with saxophones, and the chorus really going for it.  ‘We Can Rule the World’ was a nice, bright performance by Aladdin and the Princess in a glittery Palace set.  Abanazar and Ghenghis were very funny in their rendition of ‘Don’tcha’, as were Widow Twankey and the Sultan in ‘Hey Big Spender’, and Aladdin, Ben Him, Ben Hur and the Prisoners in ‘I Want to Break Free’.  The ensemble numbers were very popular with the audience, including ‘Agadoo’ to open the show, and ‘Reach’ which was an excellent finale song, with some very nice moves: with strong choreography by Stewart and Victoria Jones, a colourful set and lovely costumes, the music was very well-presented in this show; the Dance of the Jewels and Spooks in the magic cavern was especially enjoyable, as was ‘Save Your Kisses for Me’.
This was a well-written and enjoyable show, almost completely home-made and much appreciated by its loyal audience.  If there is one criticism to be made, it is that the scene changes were sometimes painfully tedious, but that is something which can be overcome in the future.  Congratulations to Directors Pat and Victoria Jones and the Swanage Drama Company on another charming and enjoyable family pantomime.
 

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