Aladdin
Information
- Date
- 1st December 2018
- Society
- Margate Operatic Society
- Venue
- Winter Gardens Margate
- Type of Production
- Pantomime
- Director
- Harcus Copper
- Choreographer
- Donna Clements
What better way to begin the festive season than with a pantomime. Oh no it isn’t, I hear you cry! I always look forward to being invited to review a Margate Operatic Society production because they have built a reputation of producing high quality theatrical experiences. This means I now go expecting a great deal. I can assure you I was not disappointed
From the very opening bars of the first numbers the society threw everything they had at the production. Aladdin is one of my favourite pantomimes, mainly because it has such a good, strong story line. This is really developed in the very funny and modern script penned by members of the company. The costumes were colourful, varied and well-fitting and there was good use of lighting and sound effects. The set was functional and used effectively. The company were put through their paces with complex choreography which never phased them, and the junior dancers were a delightful addition. Music choices for this production were superb. Music is such an important part of pantomime and this production had it just right.
So to the principals: Keeping with tradition Mollie Knight presented us with a well-rounded characterisation of Aladdin. It is always a pleasure to see this young lady on stage though I feel she was slightly too glamourous as principal boy when poor. However she certainly paired suitably next to the dulcet tones of Mary Peskett as Princess Jasmine. They were a tour de force as a performing duo.
Harcus Copper was excellent as Widow Twankey, his make-up and many gaudy and outlandish costumes adding to the hilarity of his first-class performance. Liam Ferrier as Wishee Washee brought out all of the humour in the script with ease and both he and his 'mother’ had a good rapport with the audience.
Peter Barlow and Alison Monroe as the Emperor & Empress respectively were well in character throughout, and both worked superbly together. The baddie, Abanazer played in a suitably evil manner by Guy Underwood, was well deserving of his “boos and hisses”. The introduction of not one but three handmaidens, played securely by Lisa Mackenzie, Claudia Terrana and Sophie Louise Williams, was a fantastic idea as they worked exceptionally hard popping up in several chorus numbers as well as playing their roles with aplomb. They were certainly kept busy and showed their various talents.
Last but by no means least we have Lloyd Newstead as the Genie of the Lamp and Jodie Hibbert as the Genie of the Ring. Their singing was fantastic and they worked as a brilliant double act, wringing every ounce of humour out of the script. A real delight.
My only criticism would be that I was desperate for more audience interaction. When scripted it worked well, but at the performance I attended there were times when the audience were interacting with the characters and it wasn’t taken any further. If an audience wants an “oh no it isn’t” or an “it’s behind you” then listen to them and roll with it. They will guide you.
This pantomime was extremely innovative with some excellent moments (12 days of Christmas is an all-time pantomime favourite of mine and it was a real pleasure to see it again), wonderful singing and super choreography. But most importantly you could tell the cast were enjoying every minute of it as did we, the audience.
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