Although this year’s pantomime at the Assembly Hall Theatre is yet another in their extremely successful collaboration with UK Productions, it’s all change for the creative team with none other than Theatre Director John-Jackson Almond taking the helm as Director of the show – and a very good job he does with it!
The use of a projected House Cloth, emblazoned with the word Aladdin and a golden lamp, gives the production a fresh and new look, even before we get to see what wonders lie behind it. Abanazar is the first charcater to appear and, as the backdrop changes to a dark shade of green, he begins to explain his plans for world domination.
Michael Greco works well as Abanazar, soaking up the “boos” and begging for more as he goads the children, and most of the adults, in the audience to shout even louder. As well as acting superbly in the role, later on in the production he also shows off his fine singing voice with a very creditable version of Human by Rag’n’Bone Man.
As the slave of the ring, Jess Robinson gets plenty of chances to show why she did so very well on Britain’s Got Talent, with flawless impressions that are so good they need no introduction. Whether she is speaking as Eastenders’ Sonia or Loose Women’s Janet Street-Porter or singing with the very distinctive voices of Streisand, Bassey, Minnelli or Britney Spears, she executes each one brilliantly with superb attention to detail.
Comedy comes from all directions in the cleverly written production with Chris Pizzey really whipping the children up, and soaking many of them too, as Wishee-Washee, Tom Whalley whizzing round the stage on his scooter as PC Pong and Quinn Patrick displaying the most amazing collection of outrageous outfits and wigs as Widow Twankey. Individually each is a master of his craft, together they are simply superb.
Another feature of this first class show is the intricately choreographed dance numbers. Regan Shepherd has really worked the adult dancers, Kendra Colangelo, Nicola Martin, Holly Thompson, Alannah Wells and Scott Rayner, and the children from the Associates, the McAllister Brown Dance School and the Dance Consortium really well and the result is tight, slick and perfectly executed moves that really enhance the musical numbers.
Mark Rhodes as Aladdin together with Alexandra Robinson as Princess Jasmine and Gareth James as her father, The Emperor, all work very hard to keep the storyline moving along which, given the chaos around them, is not always easy. The duet between Aladdin and Jasmine, using Justin Beiber’s hit Despacito and backed by some truly beautiful contemporary dance, is a wonderfully sublime highlight of the show.
Special mention also has to go to Lewis Sycamore who really impresses as the super cool, super fit, super sexy Genie of the Lamp. As Widow Twankey says when he appears in the palace gardens, and many in the audience agree, “I’ve just seen want I want for Christmas!”
With news this week that the green light has just been given to go ahead with the planning of a brand new 41 million pound theatre in Tunbridge Wells, it looks like the future of theatre, and of first class traditional family pantomime, is looking very rosy!
**** Four Stars
