Brilliantly Bonkers! This bumper packed panto doesn’t do things by halves with plenty of sparkles and pizzazz, in a value for money production for all the family.
The Theatre Royal knows a thing or two about putting on a decent pantomime with a large part of its annual schedule dedicated to its craft. This current offering from writer Liam Mellor serves up the traditional tale of Aladdin (portrayed by the likeable Alex Aram) topped with plenty of topical laughs with injections of silly slapstick and some leftfield gags which keeps the audience on their toes. Director Chantelle Nolan, and Assistant Director Kay Nicolson, have created a festive multimedia feast bringing together various artistic elements into a solid staple of traditional panto chaos to see us through the season.
Theatre Royal favourite Lewis Devine is hilarious as Wishee Washee. His energy and natural funny bones make him extremely watchable, along with the brilliant Tim Lucas as the Genie of the Lamp, both make for a winning comedy double act. Mellor’s script offers the two a platform to really bounce off one another, leaving the audience revelling in the madness and silliness, including their ad libs which are face achingly funny. The rest of the cast need to keep up with this double dose of high-octane energy which is an absolute joy to watch and as they threaten to steal the show.
Radio City’s Leanne Campbell is our Genie in the Mirror, who appears by ‘the power of video projection’ and regrettably, not in person. This is a shame as the video projection just doesn’t hit the mark amongst the high paced energetic flow set by the rest of the company. The action is slightly stalled as we wait for the screen to drop down, creating some missed beats and small delays with dialogue. Unfortunately, this technical addition does nothing in terms of the direction of the narrative, apart from providing a cheeky plug for the radio station.
Other audio-visual sections work extremely well, especially the video interlude where we watch Wishee Washee running around St Helens to the bemusement of the locals. Really nice touch. The 3D magic carpet ride is a little too long but ends well with a 3D and live mash up performance of the popular ghost sketch.
Newcomer Jess Smith perfectly embodies the sweet innocence of Princess Jasmine whose chemistry with Aram satisfies the fairy-tale element of this story. Lots of Emmerdale references accompany Liam Fox’s scenes as the evil Abanazer along with his annoying sidekick PC Shameless, Warren Donnelly. These characters serve to drive the Aladdin narrative through to its celebratory ending, which despite the emerging trend of unconventional panto endings, sticks to the traditional wedding proposal.
Kudos to Regal Entertainments for the extravagant costumes and set design which is absolutely magical, complimenting the environment and narrative of the story. Richard Aucott as the divine Widow Twankey, emerges each time in Dame regalia which is beautifully haute couture, the Eastern references including the noodle bowl dress and panda headpiece is delightful. The finery of the costumes remains spectacular throughout the production, especially coming to life, Las Vegas style, at the start of the second act, wonderfully paraded by the dazzling troupe of dancers under the competent choreography by Nazene Danielle, assisted by Grace Faulkner, who treat the audience to a range of dance styles including tap and jive.
Overall, a thoroughly entertaining production to get you in the festive mood.
Aladdin is on until the 14th January 2024, to purchase tickets please visit, https://www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com/show/873643932/
Reviewer: Gill Lewis
Reviewed: 6th December 2023
North West End UK Rating: