Aladdin

This nostalgic Disney story needs no introduction as through the years it has entertained audiences far and wide. This scaled back junior version retains all the basic story, Aladdin meets the Princess, The baddies try to steal the show, without success, The Genie controls the outcomes and love wins over evil in the end . 

The continued strength of CAOS, after the society recently passed the milestone of 100 years, is the commitment by so many families being involved and working together. The production team as listed above should be thrilled with the results these youngsters achieved. The whole team seemed so full of energy, with beaming smiles, clearly having taken on board the direction afforded. 

The set was simplistic with a great backdrop Eastern themed cloth, the use of bushel boxes and two door flats utilized cleverly and mainly moved by the cast kept the production moving along. The lighting was used with good effect. 

Some great performances by the principal characters. The Genie by Isobel Chandler and very talented actor, commanding with clear delivery. The way Aladdin and Jasmine , by Thomas Needham and Isla Cowen , built up their stage relationship was lovely to see, the magic carpet scene along with the duo of A Whole New World well delivered. The team of three , Omar, Babkak and Kassim by Bea Ingrosso, Brodie Brown and Josie Higgs performed their roles really well, some lovely scenes and great understanding of each other, well done. All panto style performances need some baddies and Jafar and Lago by Erin Rice and Rowan Brown were just that. Two lovely competent performers with some great script , I’m allergic to Mildew being one such line. The Sultan by George Strutt another well performed role, great stage awareness and clear delivery.  Fortune Teller by Freya Hadley-Howell, Isir by Eliza Clayton, Manal by Darcy Lyons-Dennis, smaller cameo roles and the remaining cast whilst not individually mentioned no less important to the overall outcome of the evening. 

The shaping and direction was well performed by the youngsters. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, the costumes were excellent, the ensemble always strong, just a small point but when performing without mics the projection is paramount, sometimes simply being nearer the front of the stage allows you to be heard clearly. 

Thank you to all the FOH who made us very welcome, and of course all the unseen personnel backstage working and ensuring the safety and smooth running of the production. 

I wish you all success with the remaining shows

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