Aladdin At Theatre Royal Plymouth Review

Reviewed by Linda Curtain

A trip to the theatre to watch a pantomime is certainly a great way to get into the Christmas spirit and a trip to Theatre Royal Plymouth to see Aladdin certainly lifted peoples spirits last evening. After a reduced panto run last year due to covid it was lovely to be able to be back at the theatre again albeit with some covid restrictions. As reminded by Joe Pasquale over the loud speaker on arrival, masks have to be worn throughout the show but this certainly didn’t dampen peoples enjoyment last evening.

Situated on the festively decorated Royal Parade in Plymouth, the theatre is easy to find and easy to access by bus, foot or car with several nearby car parks. As always the theatre was brilliantly decorated to add to the festive atmosphere and a warm welcome was given by the front of house staff.

Aladdin is a classic, well-loved pantomime and this production had all the components for a successful show with strong elements of good and evil to entertain the audience.

Pete Gallagher was very convincing as the evil Abanazar determined to remove the magical lamp from Aladdin and become the master of the genie. Sarah Earnshaw as Scherezade and Natalie Chua as Princess Jasmine worked well together as the royal princesses adding glamour and sparkle to the performance. Alistair So was a very charming Aladdin with brilliant stage presence and clear diction. Widow Twankey played by David Robbins was such a colourful character – her costumes and wigs were amazing. And finally Joe Pasquale as Wishee Washee! What can be said! Such a lively, entertaining character. With his iconic voice and quick wit he was brilliant. Not often can a celebrity be see moving around the Theatre Royal stage on a motorised toilet!!

Local references within the panto added a good local connection to the show. The content of the comedy within the script was about right – entertaining for the adults but not too risqué for the children.

I did feel the performance lacked a few songs but the ones performed were sung with enthusiasm – Abanazars vocals were very good in his solo song. A great comedy sketch song ‘ if I were not in panto’ was hilarious requiring good timing and resulting in chaos! There were many mishaps throughout the show which added to the comedy – it was hard to tell which were scripted and which were actual mishaps!

The ensemble danced wonderfully and showed great talent with slick, up to date dance routines which were performed with great commitment and projection. It was also great to see the return of the Acromaniacs – their acrobatic skills and tricks were great with amazing timing.

The huge Genie was unexpected as was the enormous elephant which appeared! A great piece of staging was the flying carpet on which Wishee Washee flew over the stage.

The whole evening was great and so needed at the end of such a difficult year. Lots of laughs, wonderful costumes and beautiful glittery scenery.

Well done Theatre Royal Plymouth for bringing back a traditional pantomime and adding a bit of magic to the Christmas season.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £13
Aladdin is at Theatre Royal Plymouth until 15th January 2022
For more info and to book tickets go to www.theatreroyal.com