The Stage

Aladdin

Published Monday 18 December 2006 at 14:30 by Sheila Tracy

Theatre Royal pantomimes are lavish and classy with no expense spared. The sets and the costumes are superb and there is a five piece band, although they could do with less amplification at the start. Add to that a star performer such as Toyah Willcox, quite marvellous as the Genie of the Lamp and that personable X-Factor runner-up Chico as Aladdin and you have a sure fire recipe for success.

David Alder as Widow Twankey is a seasoned pantomime performer and it is very much an acquired art. Too often today, big television names try their hand at it and fall flat on their faces but newcomer Chico takes to it like a duck to water. Another first timer to the medium is Jennifer Hubilla who is delightful as the Princess with voice to match.

Granville Saxton as Abanazar is the perfect baddie attracting the usual round of boos and cat calls. John Clegg as Wishee Washee has no problem getting the audience on his side rolling a gigantic dice to discover how many bags of sweets to throw to the audience and then leading an hilarious rendering of The Twelve Days of Christmas holding “a bra made for three” with Widow Twankey and Chris Dennis as the policeman waving “five toilet rolls”.

One of the many highlights is Aladdin’s ride on a magic carpet, floating above the stage with various brightly coloured animal cut-outs passing along beneath, which has the young audience in raptures.