Aladdin

An evening of pure delight and wonderful entertainment. Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company were an absolute pleasure to watch. I must say a huge thank you to member Ann Pollard for your hospitality and to Brierley Hill for the kind invitation and warm welcome. This was my first experience of Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company. 

This performance of Aladdin, directed by Jo Gresswell, had some perfectly executed use of timing, excellent characterisation, excellent slapstick, excellent use of the stage as well as the auditorium and excellent action which kept a good pace. The feeling of team-work of the backstage crew remained supportive and tight which also helped immensely with the pace of the show. I was very impressed with the style and energy combined with the confident, fun and dynamic performances from the cast, chorus and dancers which were all simply fantastic to watch.

There was an impressive ensemble of talent which included fun dance routines choreographed by Sally Evans and Musical Director Richard Skilbeck led a strong orchestra. There were also great song choices which were complimented with some brilliant voices.

The audience engaged very positively with such lovable characters and there were fantastic homegrown jokes which landed well. I enjoyed very much watching some of the actors enjoying some promising improvisational skills. One hilarious moment in particular was when Widow Twankey (Chris Psaras) was taunting, drenching, squirting and pelting his “victim” Wishee Washee (Krystian Wharton) with "wine", condiments and eggs! Krystian had trouble keeping his balance as he slipped all over the place and with a smirk, Chris looked like he was having a great time. 

Another brilliant moment and personal highlight for me was the performance of the song The 12 days of Lockdown (with props) performed by Aladdin (Rebecca Thorne) who was joined by Widow Twankey and Wishee Washee for this very funny rendition.

Rebecca Thorne certainly played Aladdin the “cheeky chappy” with confidence and Jess Skidmore who played Jasmine had a lovely voice and presence as she owned the part comfortably. Steve Taylor looked like he was enjoying playing the “baddie” and his interaction with the audience worked well; Liam Pinches and Matt Hickman who played “Special Branch” Superintendent Nee and Sergeant Nar, provided great physical comedy moments and great one liners and the energy of both was infectious.

Joshua Hawkins (Grand Visier), Rachel Gresswell (The Spirit of The Ring) and James Luckins (The Genie of the Lamp) all had their moments to shine and so did Wishee Washee’s love interest BarUber, played by Katelyn Laws.

Finally, a special mention and a joy to watch was Tom Ruff (Emperor Tipton the 12th) and Meg Luckins (Empress Tiptonia the 13th), these two worked really well together and seemed very natural with the right dose of sarcasm, wit, timing and playfulness.

This was truly a brilliant night of entertainment. All of the cast, crew, chorus, dancers and production team (including sound and light) at Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company should be very proud.

The next planned show is The Wizard of Oz which is to be performed at The Brierley Hill Civic Hall in October 2022.

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