Regal Entertainments were the production company that put Aladdin on at The Theatre Royal, who have done an excellent job in doing so. Chantelle Nolan and Jane Joseph both produced Aladdin, their production values were good and were demostrated throughout the pantomime. Additionally, Jane Joseph also directed Aladdin, doing an incredible job bringing the family favourite show to life on the stage. Her vision and passion were clearly noted, plus her direction was tight and controlled. Olivia Sloyan was the Assistant Director, who has done a great job assisting Joseph bring her vision of Aladdin to life. Sloyan also combined this role by playing Princess Jasmine, one of principals in the pantomime.
Si Foster wrote Aladdin, based around the traditional story. The writing was really good, full of one-liners, plenty of humour and the dialogue was flawless. There were topical references to Donald Trump and Thomas Cook thrown in for good measure. There was a fantastic equilibrium of humour for the adults and children. There was so much laughter and comedy incidents, which the audience found highly amusing and entertaining in equal measure. Additionally, Si Foster combined this role with playing the role of the pantomime dame, Widow Twankey.
The main cast included Robin Windsor, best known for his Strictly Come Dancing role on the BBC as the male lead, Aladdin. He was joined by Olivia Sloyan as Princess Jazmibe, Philip McGuinness as the villainous Abanazer, Scott Gallagher as Wishee Washee, Timothy Lucas as PC Noodle, Jenna-Sian O’Hara as the Slave of the Ring and Kai Jolley as the Genie of the Lamp. Finally, by no means least, Aladdin would not be complete without St. Helens resident dame, Si Foster, who was up to his usual capers as Widow Twankey.
The ensemble of senior dancers included Lucy Edwards, Caitlin Howard, Wael Makki, Jack Osmand and Sophie Rogers. Their Dance Captain was Jade Harrington. There were several juvenile dancers too. All these dancers provided a great support and rapport for the main cast. The One Hung Low ‘The Cow’ was alternatively played by Annie Ousalice, Grace Faulkner and Lily Whitworth.
Aladdin is the family pantomime that everyone knows and loves. For those who don’t know how the narrative goes. Well, the story was centred around Aladdin and his quest in finding true love with Princess Jasmine. Love does not run smoothly for poor Aladdin initially, as he had to overcome a few obstacles on his way of finding true love with Princess Jasmine. Aladdin lives in Old Peking with his younger brother, Wishee Washee and their adorable mother, Widow Twankey. They all run the family businesses of the laundrette in the day and the restaurant in the night.
On his journey finding love and wealth, Aladdin battled with the evil Abanazer and his dastardly plan to rule the world with the assistance of an extremely special lamp. The story stayed true to the original with a few alterations to the narrative and was conveyed incredibly well. There was a great, steady pace as the story was told, so the younger audience could follow the narrative.
The running themes in Aladdin were family, trust, love and relationships. The narractive managed to convey a lot of drama, laughter and emotion throughout the pantomime. I particularly liked the way the story was told in a humourous way for both the adults and children and kept the audience amused at all times. The acting was a good standard. The comedy timing and the delivery of one-liners was excellent, particularly from the characters of Wishee Washee and Widow Twankey.
The set design and costumes were done by Regal Entertainments Ltd. The set design was really good and incorporated all the scenes extremely well. The set stood out as everything could be observed from the props to the scenery. There was a good flow of scenes featured throughout the pantomime. The costumes were amazing, they were extremely vibrant and colourful. For me, Widow Twankey's costumes stole the show as she was seen in several costumes during the show. No expense was spare regarding the set, props or costumes.
The 3D was done by Accolade Productions, then devised and directed by John Port. The 3D Supervisor was Dan Cox and the Technical Supervisor was Ross Hammond. The 3D special effects were the best I have seen in a pantomime for a long time. The visual effects were amazing to watch, certainly kept the children entertained and let the imagination run away with them.
The Musical Director was Jordan Alexander and the Deputy was George Strickland. Together they achieved some great musical direction in Aladdin. There were several songs used, which the young audience were familiar with and timeless classics for the adults. I particularly liked how specific songs were relevant to the mood and emotion for some scenes in the pantomime. The standout song, 'Let It Go' from The Disney film, 'Frozen' got all the children and even the adults singing along too. The choreography by Nazene Langfield was fantastic as the stage was utilised to its full potential as all angles were covered by the cast. The dance routines for the songs were varied too.
The Lighting (Sarah Baldwin), was lit brightly and clearly visible throughout the show. I like how the spotlight was used to highlight certain characters in their dramatic performance scenes. Conrad Kemp (Sound) Technican, ensured all the dialogue could be heard. The sound effects were good and only used, when required.
On a final note, if you’re looking for a local pantomime in the Merseyside area, then I would recommend taking your family to see this pantomime. It has everything, you would expect in a typical pantomime; comedy, drama, emotion and pathos all told in a good, solid narrative with some interesting, funny characters.
Reviewer - Mark Cooper
on - 11/12/19
No comments:
Post a Comment