ALADDIN

Malvern Festival Theatre

(Martin Dodd for UK Productions)

UK Productions return to Malvern Festival Theatre this yuletide with a gem of a pantomime, Aladdin! For those of you who have been locked away in the Cave of Wonders for all eternity, this is the tale of a poor street urchin with big dreams, who falls in love with a princess and the magical journey that takes him from China to Morocco and back again in order to make his dreams come true.

Hi-5 presenter, Chris Edgerley, is utterly adorable in the title role and arguably the most likeable Aladdin ever. Equally charming and immensely mischievous is Milkshake presenter, Derek Moran, as the cheeky chappy, Wishee Washee. Both run rings around their mother, Widow Twanky, who scrapes together a living running the local launderette. Ian Good is hilarious as this iconic dame, with a fabulous array of outrageous costumes and the most impressive collection of wigs ever seen. The energy that these three exude throughout the show is exhilarating. Rebecca Marks is a beautiful princess with a refreshingly determined attitude, as she fights for what she truly believes, despite being bullied by her father, the Emperor, convincingly played by Spencer K Gibbins. Mark James is brilliant as PC Pong, whose attempts to keep law and order, in Peking, are thwarted at every corner. The magical characters are perfectly presented by Carrie Rawlings, who is the feisty, yet lovable, Slave of the Ring, and Connor J Barrie, with his washboard abs and enchanting smile, as the Genie. Show business royalty, Robert Powell, is wonderful as the evil Abanazar. His booming voice and humility at being the butt of many jokes about his career and theatrical training make him the most endearing of baddies.

Jak Skelly, Emily Brown, Nikki Foulkes, Amelia Arnold and Sabrina Egerton, along with young dancers from Cecilia Hall Dance Centre, execute Alistair Bull’s choreography with precision and poise, under Dean McDermott’s up-beat musical direction. As well as being dame, Good is also the director and he does a superb job at telling the story of Aladdin, a factor that is often overlooked by many directors less skilled in the art of pantomime. Despite this production being rich in dialogue in the first act and comedic ‘business’ heavy in the second act, the story was never sacrificed for the sake of the slapstick scenes.

With songs ranging from chart hits to musicals, even an ingenious inclusion of You And Me (But Mostly Me) from The Book of Mormon, this panto really has something for everyone and is a guaranteed great outing for all the family. Aladdin runs until Sunday 4^th January 2015.