Aladdin

Sale Nomads have a stout reputation for their pantomimes in their community. In some respects, we got a bit of a ‘shake up’ with this presentation but in other respects, things were perhaps a little too established. The latter being the script. The Nomads produced ‘Aladdin’ in 2019, the choice to stage ‘Aladdin’ again so soon is fair enough – after all, it’s one of the most popular titles of this artform, however, I can’t help but feel the copout degree was high to regurgitate the same script in such proximity, albeit with some minor tweaks, I still could almost have prompted the next line in most scenes, even most of the song choices were the same! Yes, there were some tweaks to suit the different principals – primarily in the form of Mike Sammon as Widow Twankey and Pete Birch (this time) as Abanaazar. Pete directed the first one with Derek Stuart-Cole in the role of Widow Twankey, Derek and Pete flipped their roles in the director’s chair this time and got Mike in as the Dame. The stage time for Twankey and the villain had increased somewhat this time round. Mike is a very natural Dame with such a warm presence and doesn’t shy away from the more risqué material, these are two fundamental traits for any Dame in my book. This was a performance I enjoyed very much and felt secure in his company – warm, endearing and cheeky! Peter Birch played the villain Abanaazar and also wrote the script, this revival presentation saw his role increase, we got all the intensity and slime of a typical baddie which was certainly relished to high hammy heaven, we all loved to give him our ‘boos’.   

The story, towards the end, had become a lot more complicated and confusing than I remember – particularly with the whereabouts of the lamp though I loved how it wrapped up with XYZ being related to ABC (I won’t give too much away in case the decision is made to do the same script again in 2024!)

I can’t deny it was a joy to see the 4 tea thieves scene again, I loved this the first time just as much as I did seeing it again.

One factor that’s becoming more and more unkempt across the district is enunciation, it’s all too common for so much script to go unheard due to mumbles and sluggish projection, it’s criminal... and – I’ll add – this all too familiar flaw is not just in the amateur circuit either! This cannot be said for Megan Ashbrook as Jennie (the genie of the ring) who’s delivery was crystal clear, I didn’t miss a word. Having good articulation is three quarters of the way to being engageable on stage. An absolute breath of fresh air… a clear and propelled voice which worked a treat! Though, this should be basic skills and standard practise for anyone who is ever required to deliver a line.

The stage trickery when engineering the flying carpet effect was handled much smoother this time, good job. Though, where we were sitting we could see everything happening, despite the attempts made to disguise it. Part of me wished you’d not tried to hide how it was done as I find it’s often far more enjoyable (and magical) to experience theatre when you can see HOW things are happening, like we so often do see it all with puppetry (Lion King, and War Horse for example), but, enhancements were evidently made to execute a smoother sequence which was a success and shows a want for improvement which is all anyone can ask! 

The dancers were a definite asset to the production, yes (I’m singing the same tune again, but there’s nothing wrong with that…right?) we got the same choreography and costumes as last time but the accomplishment was as punchy and exuberant as previous to which the troupe and their choreographers – Jude Goodier & Karen Carr – are all commended.   

Jess Dyer (as Aladdin) and Niamh Rushton-Nutt (as Sheherezade – the princess, sort of!) both delivered secure portrayals. This script involves a twist which propelled things into something that’s arguably more modern pantomime territory – however, the choice to have the principal boy role played by a girl remains… something that’s traditional – some would say outdated – I think the time is upon us to ask why we’re still doing this, especially when taking into account the reasons behind why it was this way in the first place. I’m all for gender switching, especially in panto, but I think it’s ignorant to carry on doing so without actually understanding why we're doing it. “Because that’s how we’ve always done it” is not enough of an explanation in my opinion. Huge changes are happening in the world of professional panto, particularly with how they’re cast, female actors playing the principal boy was ditched decades ago, and with good reason!

The dreaded COVID is still trying it’s best to put a dampener on our endeavours but it never fails to amaze me how so many of you overcome its challenges. Anna Simmons stepped up to fill the shoes of ‘Echo’ (one of a double act, Abanaazars gofers) and, unless I’d been told of this cast switch prior to watching the show, I really wouldn’t have been wise to it as nothing of the sort stood out to suggest it. It’s instances like this which fill me with pride for how such obstacles are overcome and how the pressure is coped with, as a society, as a cast, as a group of friends! It’s where the true magic of what we do lies! Really well done here!

Overall, this was a warm and all-embracing presentation. It’s clear how hard everyone had worked. Nomads always seem to remember that panto is regularly an entry point for the wonder that is theatre and regardless of the occasional gripe pinpointed above, it has a generosity of spirit and a vivacity in performance that sent its audience out into a cold January evening with a warm glow in their hearts so... as far as I’m concerned, a job well done! 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.