Alongside Cinderella, Snow White and Jack and the Beanstalk, the Middle Eastern folk tale is one of the big four festive favourites. As usual, the perfectly suited and booted Lyceum is Sheffield’s venue for the show, written and directed by Paul Henry.
With theatre stalwart and pantomime giant Damian Williams once again in residence as the Dame, the Pharaoh Rocher was surely spoiling us as we ventured down to the pyramids of Attercliffe. There were many local references and colloquialisms throughout the 2 and a half hour (including interval) performance.
Damian delivered another accomplished display in a wide array of frocks and was as funny as ever. His performance as Tommy Cooper in The Last Laugh has secured him many accolades recently, a role he played at this venue earlier in the year. One of Dame Dollie’s skirts was an inverted Fez- a crafty nod to a legendary magician.
From the lively start to the show, it was clear that there would be much music, dancing, comedy and merriment. It was indeed a particularly theatrical show. Musical Director James Harrison is also an all-round entertainer and played his part in a bright musical start to the show, which continued throughout. It was fitting that all the musicians got their moment on the stage during the evening.
With former Strictly Come Dancing’s Kevin Clifton in the role of pantomime villain, Ivan, there was a large element of dancing on display. Clifton’s dancing, choreographed by Sarah Langley, was superb, as was the rest of the cast. It was exhausting just watching. His acting was equally on point, landing his jokes as expertly as his jumps.
CBeebies Evie Pickerill’s role of Spirit of the Ring summed up the spirit of the pantomime. Her performance was bubbly, funny and full of joy. Sario Solomon took the role of the eponymous hero with similar energy and verve.
Morgan Brinds set and costume design were colourful and stylish, with a multitude of props playing their part in the storyline. The culminating scene was Aladdin’s magical mid-air carpet flight around the Lyceum. The set changes were smooth and quick, with the lighting sequences playing a clever game of hide and reveal.
This year’s festive offering from Sheffield Theatres is a slick affair full of dancing, laughter and audience participation.
Aladdin is standard pantomime fayre which presses all the right buttons and will appeal to novices and seasoned pantomime aficionados alike. A great night out for all the family.
Production run (The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield): 5th December– 4th January 2026
https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/aladdin-panto-2025/dates
Reviewer: Matthew Burgin
On: 9th December 2025
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