Aladdin

The show opened with some lovely bright costumes and smiling faces from the cast. The set was simple, but well designed and made the most of the space available. I must mention the flying carpet - it was very well executed. The flashing/twinkling stars were a lovely touch especially when the carpet rose in the air above the audience - there was an audible “ooh” murmur. The songs throughout were a good mix for the ages of the audience and were delivered strongly by the cast. The lighting plot worked well with the written vehicle and was sympathetic to all the scenes and the sound was good all through the performance.

Amy Gilmore played the part of the lovestruck Aladdin. She gave us a lovely, well rounded, strong performance and gave us some good vocals in both solos and duets with the Princess. The Princess was played by Rachael Pearson - she showed us some sass and balanced well with Amy’s Aladdin characterisation. Martin Taylor played the villain of the piece Abanazar superbly - it is very easy to go over the edge into villaindom in Panto, but Martin kept his character well into the lovable rogue side - the audience loved him and responded well with their “boo-ing”. Martin dealt well with the occasional unexpected audience heckle. Andrew Kirk as Vizier was a joy to watch - his characterisation was very funny and he kept up a great accent throughout his performance which added depth to his character, he was a perfect balance for The Sultan ( Tony Moore) to bounce his more reserved character off. Jenny Taylor and Nathan Simpson as the P.C’s gave us a good comedic performance. I did personally find the whistle blowing a little shrill but.......it is Panto. Jane Pearson as Slave of the Ring was every inch a sparkly, sparky genie - I loved her characterisation and she looked very comfortable as if she was enjoying herself. She aided well in keeping the show moving along at a good pace. Widow Twankey (Carole Griffiths) and Wishee Washee (Tony Cenci) were very much the backbone of the show - they started with high energy and kept it up throughout the whole show. The chemistry and timing between the two was a joy to watch on stage and they kept the show moving along at a great pace.

Thank you, S.H.A.D.E.S for making me so welcome. I look forward to seeing you again very soon.

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