Aladdin At Derby Arena Review

Reviewed by Catherine Brown

The hilarious panto ‘Aladdin’ is entertaining families at Derby Arena throughout the Christmas period. An energetic show, with lots of traditional elements of a seasonal pantomime, there is something for all ages in this riotous production.

The story begins with the Genie of the lamp/Siri of the ring (Anna Soden) explaining that she is trapped in the ring worn by Abanazar (John Thompson). Abanazar is keen to locate the lamp which will give him fortune and power. In order to retrieve the lamp he needs the help of Aladdin (Kristian Cunningham), a young man more focused on increasing his followers on his socials than anything else. Director Morgan Brind plays the part of Widow Twanky, the endearing mother of Aladdin, who is trying to run their pottery shop without causing too many breakages.

Over at the palace the Sultan (David Djemal) is keen to arrange the marriage of his daughter Amirah. When Princess Amirah (Nicola Martinus-Smith) fancies a bit of anonymity she bumps into Aladdin on the streets of Shangrila. When Aladdin has the chance to get 3 wishes he believes that becoming a prince is the only way she will fall in love with him.
The acting on stage is interspersed with some audience interaction, including a dad on the front row being roped in to throw some pots akin to the romantic scene from Ghost. John Thompson makes a great panto villain as Abanazar, goading the audience for boos just the right level of nastiness not to scare the youngest audience members too much.
Highlights of the night included a cleverly staged flying carpet ride using the music to ‘Defying Gravity’. The biggest cheers and giggles of the night were for Aladdin’s flossing monkey friend Marmaduke (talented gymnast Ben Tanner). Throughout the evening, the talented supporting cast demonstrated excellent musical and dance ability. Familiar tunes, which got the audience moving and singing along helped keep energy levels high and interactive games such as ‘The Prince is right’ brought lots of cheers.

The jokes were a little political or referred to places/landmarks only known to local residents at times, but this didn’t spoil the show for visitors from further away. There was just the right level of innuendo to get the dads in the audience sniggering without it being too much for younger guests.

The Derby Arena, Royal Way, Derby DE24 8JB, is a multi-purpose venue opened in 2015; it is located close to the city centre with plenty of parking nearby. The staff were warm and welcoming with plenty on hand to give directions to seating or toilet facilities. The seating was spacious and comfortable with a wide stage with sparkling scenery that instantly created a magical mood.

There is a café in the entrance hall selling hot and cold food plus a variety of drinks – my favourite was the Baileys hot chocolate. Inside the arena there were opportunities to buy sweets, popcorn, ice-cream and other snacks plus the obligatory light up wands for youngsters to wave around during the show.

Tickets for the panto which runs until 31st December are available from £18 at www.derbylive.co.uk/whats-on/buy-tickets or by calling the Derby Live box office on 01332255800. The show has a running time of 2hrs 40 minutes including interval, which is just the right length to keep young audience members engaged.

Morgan Brind and Alan Bowles of Little Wolf Entertainment have created a fabulous show which hits all the right buttons – humour for all ages, a strong cast and dance along familiar songs seamlessly linked into the storyline. ‘Aladdin’ would be a great show to entertain the family during the Christmas period.

Rating: 4/5