Aladdin and his Magic Lamp

I always look forward to this time of year.  It is a time to celebrate all that has gone on throughout the year and a time to share experiences with family and friends.  It is also the time when the traditional pantomimes are performed.  Aladdin and his Magic Lamp was this year’s festive offering from Penarth Operatic Dramatic Society and I was joined by the pantomime connoisseur of the Bryant household: my nine year old daughter, Fern.

As is customary with all PODS shows, we received a very warm welcome from excellent front of house volunteers, bejeweled in Arabian costumes.  A lovely touch!

The set was well constructed and colourful; just what you’d want from a panto and it allowed the large cast to perform in many different areas.

I was impressed with the sheer volume of cast members in the ensemble and their energy, despite being at the end of a long run of shows!  Their singing and movement was excellent throughout.  It was also lovely to see members from the youth section of the society taking part.  Well done everyone!

Andrew Carr did a great job as the baddie, Abanazar.  He had a great character and didn’t overdo it, which can happen sometimes.  I enjoyed his interplay with Emma Dennett who played ‘the slave of the ring’.  Emma’s character was modelled on the iconic ‘Nessa’ from television’s Gavin and Stacey.  Emma nailed the character and provided many moments of humour.

As the Genie of the Lamp, Sian Smith did a brilliant job.  She had a lovely character and excellent vocals in the musical numbers.  A performance full of energy, super job!

Eddy Hughes and Rebecca Miles shone as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine.  Very strong vocals from both throughout the performance as well as lovely, well-developed characters.

No pantomime would be complete without the dame and what a dame she was!  Widow Twankey was played by Sally Mathias and she was fantastic; a performance full of colour, energy and humour.   I found myself walking around for a few days after the performance saying, “Hey up, Widow Twankey!” Well played Sally, thanks for the ear worm!

The main principal cast was also supported well by other named characters in the production.  There were far too many to name them all but I would like to say huge congratulations to Lauren Farnham and Lucy Clevett who were really terrific to watch in everything they did.

This pantomime had everything you’d want it to have: slapstick humour, catchy songs, colourful costumes and plenty of audience participation.  Well done PODS.

As the year draws to a close, I’d like to send my heartfelt thanks to everyone at the society for their kindness during my visits this year.  I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy and successful New Year.  I look forward to seeing what you have to offer in 2026!

 

The views in this report are solely of the author.

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