Aladdin

Thank you so much for the kind invitation, the wonderful hospitality and the cheese!

The Pantomime Aladdin adapted by Tom Whalley and performed by Oldbury Rep was a brilliant and raucous night of entertainment. The production team had a lot of fun with the massive bucket load of jokes and innuendos which were generally delivered with a glint in the eye. It was well cast with each performer contributing a massive dose of uniqueness to the overall style of the evening. The cast were successful in delivering a very funny and memorable show which the audience loved. The sound and lights, set design and construction, the backstage crew and the band added so much to the evening. I observed some fantastic teamwork throughout and this is a panto I am not going to forget in a hurry, “Oh no I won’t!”

The evening was packed full of risks and unpredictability, but I felt the cast knew their audience well so they could take these risks confidently. The majority of the scenes raced along pleasantly with some cracking characters, one liners and terribly funny jokes, which were terrible, but funny! Throw in a bit of toilet humour and Oldbury Rep were already well on the way to a winning formula. Some of the jokes landed with a punch but others you could forgive. It was panto land after all and you can get away with a lot in panto land. Oldbury Rep certainly took full advantage of that!

The best parts of the evening were quite simply when the cast interacted with the audience. It was these moments when it became very clear how much fun the audience were having. Speaking of “parts”, the audience howled with laughter when Widow Twankey (Ian Thompson) was hurt (getting in the way of a sword fight) and certain body parts were injured. It was then up to an audience member to kiss them better after a suggestive and wonderful comedic delivery. The house collapsed with laughter when a kiss on the bottom was required!

There were some great stand-alone scenes with a personal favourite of mine being the scene in the cinema. The actors in this scene all had a wonderful presence. The confidence in holding the space and slowly leading the audience to tell a story with physical comedy was very well played. Some of the reactions were subtle but spot on with others being over the top and acted with commitment. Sue Hitchen, Shobs Farooque, Luke Mills, Karen Walker and David Gorton were all absolutely brilliant in this scene.

This scene was instantly recognisable to where it was leading to (similar to the kiss on the bottom scene!) but the skill in holding the audience before reaching the punchline, more often than not, hit the nail on the head and that scene in particular was wonderfully memorable for it. Karen Walker, one of the actors in this scene, also stole the show with an amazing transformation into a West Bromwich Football Team Supporting Panda called…wait for it…..A-Panda Holden! I observed some children in the audience who were very desperate to get A-Panda Holden’s attention! Karen did very well to act (in a suit) and navigate around the stage with a little guidance from her co-stars.

Some jokes did land awkwardly with delivery but they rarely failed with the audience and their mixture of reactions. Some audience members were crying with laughter with anticipation, some had an anxious shaking of the head with their hand in the face and laughed simply out of nervousness! On that note, I thought the front row of the audience was very brave. I was grateful I was near the back of the theatre; however, I was not safe from the Toilet Roll fight which was started by the mischievous Luke Mills! That was just utter pandemonium but also another excellent risk which paid off! It has to be said, I did enjoy Luke Mills and David Gorton who worked really well together as the two bumbling policemen with a nice little addition from their sergeant played by Gail Mee.

Another little scene which added a touch of individuality was when Shobs Farooque (who played a bannerman) took out his face mask after being a bit too close to a very “exPRESSive” Emperor of China (Tim Ward) and his wife The Empress of China (Lynn Roberts).

Shobs also played The Genie of The Lamp with a flare and a swagger which had a lovely contrast to The Slave of The Ring, played by Michele Forbes (who was also the choreographer for the show). Michele kept things real and “local!!" Tim also played “The Mummy” in the traditional panto scene I always look forward to. “We will have to sing it again then!”

I learnt after the show that Lamorna Lilly Conlon who played Aladdin and Jake Jones who played Wishee Washee were both new to the panto scene. Throughout the show they appeared at ease and in control with the lead roles. Lamorna had the right dose of positive energy with a great smile and drove the show forward with skill and confidence. Jake had a grin every time he bounded onto the stage. It was a cheeky grin which gave the impression he was up to no good. This contributed to the unpredictability of the show and added a fun and playful perspective as you would expect from the character of Wishee Washee.

Jasmine, played by Natalie Forbes-Moore also was a nice casting choice and came across traditional but with a little playful side to her as well, joining in with the jokes and holding some nice presence on the stage. The same to be said with the character of So-Shy (Frankiee Taylor) who delivered some great jokes and was clearly having lots of fun.  

Of course, every Panto deserved a villain worthy of the classic Boo and Hiss and Mike Hadley who played Abanazar did not disappoint. Another memorable scene was the intricate balloon animal scene, “I want a dog!” was a great line which was delivered brilliantly.

Massive congratulations to everyone involved. It was truly a very fun evening. I came away with a big smile on my face. It was certainly a great choice and indeed a perfect start to 2023. Thanks again and hope to see you again soon.

Oldbury Rep are back with Ladies Down Under (18th - 25th March 2023).

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.