Aladdin

Sparkle, dazzle and lots of energy - no doubt about it, Spennymoor Stage and Song’s annual pantomime “Aladdin” had these in abundance. Right from the start the audience were aware that they were in for a fun-packed evening, with a super energised cast and a promise to be transported to the Far East with the magic a pantomime brings.

This pantomime was a polished performance produced by Karen Butler, choreographed by Yasmin Bowron, and musically directed by Martyn Jones. This tight and hard-working production team extracted the best from a talented cast, and how well they performed against a wonderful and colourful set. The lighting was good and the Town Band complemented and supported the music numbers which were well chosen to suit the cast and the pantomime.

A great performance was given by Richard Butler, who played Aladdin. I am a great supporter of Richard who has a strong vocal range and is a good actor. He worked well with the children and delivered his musical numbers with confidence, especially “I Believe I Can fly”.  Natalie Wile, who played Princess Jasmine, gave a good performance and delivered her musical solos well but appeared to gain further confidence when she performed her duets with Aladdin, especially “Come What May”, which I felt was beautifully sung.

Eric Hickson, as Widow Twanky, played the perfect dame with great audience rapport and heartfelt fun.  Ian Patterson took the acting honours with his Wishee Washe. He kept the whole show together, and managed to inject plenty of humour into his performance as well as working well with the children. He delivered his musical numbers confidently and I especially liked “Reach For The Stars” and “Little White Bull”. Paul Rogerson gave us a very evil Abanazar, and very quickly had the audience booing in all the right places.  Christopher Jones played the confident Genie, with Paul Simpson playing the Emperor, and Brian Sneath the Vizier, the Emperor’s faithful servant, and the voice of Aeolus. Recognition must also go to Alex Wall who played the slave.

Bouncing off one another were Ryan Chatt and Liam Etherington, who played Hilo and Lohi, the Emperor’s bodyguards, I felt that these two young men complemented each other perfectly, and gave a fantastic performance.  As for the Townsfolk, they were given a lot to do in terms of singing, dancing and acting, and took part in many scenes throughout the show.  They were a real asset to the production, delivering their performances with enthusiasm, especially the younger members who by their faces certainly enjoyed being part of this production.  A special mention must go to the four talented dancers, Yasmin Bowron, Jayne Etherington, Victoria Simpson and Stacey Thompson, whose dance routine as ever was well placed and delivered perfectly.

Special mention must go to the front of house staff who were all adorned in character Chinese costumes which helped to create the ambiance of the production, as was their hospitality they delivered to the audience.  All-in-all an excellent production with lots of enthusiasm and fun which left the audience feeling very happy by the end of the night.

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