Aladdin, written by Joel Bates and Stephen Hutt, is the performance that PantSoc has taken on this term. Set in the bustling city of Agrabah, the audience joins Aladdin, played by Harry Ward, a simple street rat, on his journey into the Cave of Wonders and, hopefully, the beautiful Princess Jasmine’s heart. But his journey is not an easy one as Abanazar, the Emperor’s evil advisor, characterised with the perfect balance of wickedness and charm by Aneurin Christophers-Robbins, is on hand to scupper his plans of greatness. To make Aladdin’s job even harder, Jasmine, feistily portrayed by Hannah Forsyth, isn’t as easily won over as you might expect, being a staunch feminist and having grown up with an alcoholic as a father, she has a rather reserved view of marriage, constantly trying to show that she is an independent woman.
As soon as you enter Central Hall the energy is high due to the decision to play Disney songs while waiting for the show to begin. The scenery immediately draws your eye thanks to the bright colours and rather impressive design – the longer you look at it, the more details you notice.
No panto is complete without a good dollop of audience participation, and the decision to get us involved right from the start definitely payed off, with everyone letting go and getting into it straight away.
The song choice was just right, with the cleverly adapted lyrics adding perfectly to the story and to the amusement of the audience. A special mention should be given to the band who were fantastic, not drawing attention in the scenes but giving it their all when it was their time to shine! One of my favourite songs was their adaptation of Disney’s Tangled-I’ve Got a Dream, where we learn that David Cameron’s dream was always to be a cross-dresser.
One other song that needs a shout out is When He Rubbed Me, with Harry Elletson’s emotional portrayal of the traumas of the lamp making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your eyes well with tears. The decision to start the second half with the majority of the cast on stage for a buzzing rendition of Prince Ali was superb, getting the audience right back into the adventure from the off.
All the cast seemed to be loving every moment which translated to the audience having an even better time, but special notice should be given to Josh Turner, whose portrayal of the alcoholic Emperor was spot-on, his shrill, slurred voice and enviable array of facial expressions complementing his eccentric, foolish characterisation to give a personality we could not wait to return to the stage. Aladdin’s mother, Widow Twankey, and brother Wishee Washee, played by James Gamblin and Gabriel Elston should also be mentioned for their representations, with Gamblin’s use of comic timing and dry humour making us crave Twankey’s presence on stage, and Elston’s wide-eyed, excitable fool achieving a laugh-out-loud response for almost everything he did.
Apart from a few technical hitches, which the cast recovered from without a blink of the eye, the show was perfect. All involved, especially the directors, Alex McLintock and Tilly Burn, should be extremely proud of themselves as they have delivered a truly entertaining piece of theatre. If you want to see bright colours, excruciating puns, high-energy musical numbers and get inspiration for chat-up lines to use this Valentine’s, you will not be disappointed.
PantSoc Presents… Aladdin! is showing in Central Hall on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st in the evenings. Tickets are available from YUSU at this link.