Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

You know it’s been a great evening when driving home you are still smiling and laughing at memories of a performance and that’s exactly what Brompton Players delivered with their 2026 Pantomime Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

This was the perfect example of a community Panto that connects the audience as from the off the applause was raucous, the interaction lively and you could feel the instant connection in the packed Village Hall.

Heidi Bradley did a wonderful job with this script by Alan Frayn, expertly blocking and choreographing the show whilst clearly giving the actors the freedom to be creative in their roles. And creativity was not only evident on the stage but with the amazing work backstage too. The costumes were excellent, bold and full of colour bringing a true Arabian feel to the evening, a huge well done to Christine Chatterton and her assistants. What really brought the stage to life was the stunning backdrops and scenery that were expertly designed and painted by Leonie Robertshaw. The Cave and village scenes looked perfect and the detail in the oil barrels was really clever. The combination of lighting, costumes and scenery really brought this small village hall stage to life and added real depth to the scenes.

It was great to see a real mixture of familiar faces and newcomers to Brompton Players for this year's production and everyone seemed to be having an absolute blast on stage. With 14 named characters and a small stage there wasn’t room for a huge chorus like you might find in other societies but the trio of Stephen Chatterton, Janet Turner and Ebony Welford filled multiple roles really adding to the story and also to the big showcase numbers. Young Ebony Welford in particular really stood out, delivering her lines with real conviction and adding in lovely dynamics to all of her roles. This young actress really needs to be auditioning for a principal part next year.

Also playing more than 1 role in the show were a wonderful duo of Natlie Moores and Lucy Coyne and really had to switch their style in a moment's notice. One minute playing the elegant and royal Sultan and Grand Vizier and the next the daft comedy duo of Bashim and Grabbit the two easily led local dimwits. The second set of characters really saw them come into their own with Natalie playing her character with a great dry and solemn manner compared to the excellent silly and over the top antics of Lucy. These two bounced off each other in true Panto slap stick manner.

With chaos everywhere you turned in this performance we were luckily kept on the straight and narrow with some great narration from not only Kathryn Laverick whose speeches were delivered with perfect timing and clear diction but also our loveable Caterina. The almost fairy godmother style role played with such grace by Jessica Burgess-Drane. In a lovely white fluffy cat suit she worked her magic all night keeping the villainous Queen of the Forty Thieves, Alsatia under control. Hayley Bradley took on our baddy this year working the crowd up a storm, The Boos and hisses were thoroughly earned and as the show went on she came more to life really growing into her villainous animal character.

Andrew Cunningham for me delivered one of his best performances to date as the Queen’s sidekick and commander of the thieves, Asbad. Relishing on the audience's disgust and really lapping it up. In Act Two he really thrived in his Arabian Oil Tycoon costume. His mannerisms and poses were as wacky as his costume. I really felt Andrew let his guard down a lot more in this performance and it really showed as he allowed himself to enjoy the role and get creative with it.

Louise Baker took on the Title role, Ali Baba in the production and what a great casting choice this was. A really commanding lead, she showed lovely stage presence and control as a straight character surrounded by the mayhem. Her connection with her servant Majana, played by the delightful Abby Bradley was excellent. Abby conveying a lovely princess trapped in a servants shell, her beaming smile and the way she almost floated across the stage a great contrast to the other characters around her. 

These two were not only heavily involved in the main plot but also, as all good Pantos do, had their own love stories running heavily through the performance. The introduction of Kimmi Chapman and Rob Oakley as the royal Prince and Princess, Jassmine and Haroun not only brought some glamour to the scenes but also a huge love conundrum. 

Kimmi was perfect as our Princess, full of style and grace but showing a much softer side with her love interest in Ali Baba. She got to show off her lovely vocals and showed a real experience to her characterisation. Rob as the Prince really clicked with Abby in their love twist, both actors really coming together well and conveying some lovely chemistry in their duet.

Now it’s fair to say that the majority of the comedy in this performance came from our Dame and Silly Billy characters in very contrasting styles. Joseph Arnott as Mustafa Screwloose was a revelation in this daft and comical role. His facial expressions, smirks and eyebrow raises were almost as outrageous as some of the well written, and brilliantly delivered jokes. The connection with the audience was a masterclass, knowing when to hold back and when to play it up. From a food war, water fight and a sensitively handled Audience sing-along I have to say this role was made for Joseph and he gave it everything.

Ray Moores as our loveable Dame Fatima Fandango was absolutely perfect, a true old school Dame characterisation and one that the audience, and I, absolutely loved. Let’s be honest it was chaos, the lines all over the place (in fact he had so much interaction with the prompt Kim that she could have been in costume and on stage) but the improvisation and connection with us in the audience won us all over. It wasn’t played over the top which I loved and actually made it quite refreshing. Ray, you were an absolute revelation. The kitchen scene was possibly one of the worst yet best scenes I have ever seen in Panto but that’s what is so great about a good Pantomime, everything can go wrong yet with the right performers it can still be an absolute highlight.

The scenes throughout were broken up with some really good music choices and it was great to have this stripped back and accompanied by Robert Drane alone on Piano. As Musical Director Robert really pulled the cast together with some powerful music numbers, You’ve got the Power in You and I’m a Believer really standing out for me. The choreography by Heidi was kept simple yet was very effective. The positioning and moving of cast members around giving everyone their spotlight at the front of the stage. 

Despite having 12 scenes with multiple extra sections in front of the tabs the pace never once dropped. Changes were made swiftly and there were no clumsy scene changes or mishaps so a huge well done must go to the backstage team of Gabriel Bradley and Stan Perry. The amount of names listed in the programme is another reminder of how much of a team and community pantomime this is. A huge thank you not only to a wonderful cast, amazing crew but also to the front of house team for a lovely warm welcome on a miserable and soggy night, I’ll forgive you all for yet again no raffle prizes! I didn’t get the hump - honest.

It is rare that I summarise a show but to truly explain tonight I feel it is needed. Have I seen more technical shows? Yes. Have I seen more detailed shows? Yes. Have I seen a Pantomime that has made me laugh as much and smile this much? Possibly not. And for that reason I can honestly say, under the real detailed direction of Heidi, Ali Baba has been by far Brompton’s most entertaining Pantomime to date and I honestly can not wait to join you all next year. Thank you for finishing my Pantomime season with such an uplifting and crowd pleasing performance.

 

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