ALADDIN

I have not seen Whitley Bay Pantomime Society before – what a shame; this was one of the best amateur traditional pantomimes I have ever seen !. It had everything, and in droves. My companion and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves from the moment we walked through the Playhouse doors to the moment the doorman said goodnight on the way out – Thank you to all concerned.

This Society of extremely talented, enthusiastic and dedicated actors, musicians and backstage/technical crew succeeded to engage, involve and enthral its audience with every traditional panto element, which made for a fabulous evening’s entertainment. Their President – Steve Arnott (also appearing in a panto not a million miles away) would have been extremely proud of what was presented in this production.

Stephen Linsdell-Bell as Director and starring in the part of Widow Twankey is a very talented man. He brought the best out of this huge cast and was a superb Dame; even though he was not cast as such at the start of their season. Many congratulations Stephen and to Davie his Co-Director.

Andrew Clarence and his small, but effective band, supplied the varied and well-fitting musical score with his usual aplomb and assuredness. A pleasure to listen to !.

The Choreography was beautifully directed by Julie Cockburn. Her chorus and tots, junior and senior dancers excelled in a big movement show. The ballets for me were the highlights.

Having made special mention of the Dame, I also need to congratulate Mark Robinson for his portrayal of Wishee Washee. His vital, bouncy and endearing characterisation was a great compliment to the show. Well done !.

It was lovely to see Aladdin (Joanna Barrett) and Princess Jasmine (Jessie Donovan) supplying the love interest with properly directed movement. It makes a nice change to see the couple doing something different; a little dance, some sympathetic touches, she sitting on his knee etc., apart from the usual holding hands and gazing into one another’s eyes !. Totally believable and beautifully sung.

The cameo characters were all superbly played and complimented the whole show  – Leah Ashton as Abanazer, Georgia White as Slave Of The Ring, and Mick Blewitt as The Emperor. Talking of cameos; it was great to see Jean Hall the Stage Manager making her debut in order to quench a rather unruly pyro box – a great bow too Jean haha !.

The professional sumptuous set from QDOS Entertainment (probably painted by President Steve) was splendidly handled by the Stage Crew and beautifully lit by Mark Turner for Brightstar Light and Sound. His special effects were also of an extremely high standard. I particularly enjoyed the magic carpet ride. These were also complimented by the effective audio soundscape and FX by Jonathan Mellor for Tyne Audio.

The equally sumptuous and colourful costumes and makeup by the in-house team and Seaton Delaval Arts Centre also enhanced the visual effect considerably.

After the final curtain it was good to be invited onto the stage to meet everyone, and to see Gordon Richardson – Regional Councillor and National Vice President presenting long service awards to Joanna Barrett (20 years), Hannah Cairncross (10 years) and Davie Linsdell-Bell (10 years). Congratulations all three !.

Thanks and congratulations to the whole Team – far too many to mention, for a wonderful night’s entertainment, and for the hospitality. I hope the Society have full houses for the rest of their run – they deserve them. I look forward to returning here next year in January 2021 for ‘GOLIDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS’. Oh yes we will….!.

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