Aladdin at Kings Theatre Portsmouth Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Jan Dixon
I had the pleasure of reviewing the above Pantomime at the Kings Theatre, Portsmouth on the opening night of Tuesday 9th December 2025. It runs until Wednesday 31st December 2025, so there is plenty of opportunity to attend further performances.
This production was written by Jack Edwards and directed by Michael Strassen. The choreographer Becky Herszenhorn, Lighting Designer Craig West and Sound Engineer Rob Sarahs are to be mentioned as other essential members of the team.
As always with the annual ‘Pompey Panto’, the cast members included celebrities, which this year were Shaun Williamson as Aba Barrynazar; Rustie Lee as the Genie of the Lamp and Esme Bowdler as Spirit of the Ring. They certainly seemed to relish their roles and really got into the whole pantomime vibe from the very start. They showcased their vocal talents to the appreciation of the audience, singing popular songs which the audience recognized and could sing along to. References to their key shows, such as Eastenders, Good Morning Britain and Mamma Mia: I Have A Dream helped them to gel with the audience especially. Our very own Jack Edwards played Widow Twankey, which was his 11th appearance as a pantomime Dame, camping up the role and wearing a series of outlandish costumes. His adlibbing was instinctive and he certainly had everyone laughing and going along with his ribald innuendos with good humour. This included his annual webcam routine of ‘choosing’ a male partner from the audience to flirt with. The ‘chosen one’ responded with good humour, delighting the audience.
Leo Abad as Aladdin and Leonie Wall as Princess Jasmine played their roles so well and sang/danced beautifully together. Further key members of the cast were Joe Pollard as Wishee Washee and Jacob Biley as PC World, who performed brilliantly and demonstrated their excellent comic timing. The Ensemble consisted of the exceptional talents of Elijah Chapman, Aaron Hatherall, Riccardo-Nayim Smith, Megan Parkes, Catherine Saunders and Abbie Warner. There were also three teams in the Junior Ensemble (Red, Blue and Purple) who played their roles with skill and enthusiasm, who were co-ordinated by the Junior Dance Captain Isla-Faye Wren.
All the standard pantomime favourites were there – slapstick, responses to ‘good guys’ and ‘villains’, skeletons, interactive singing with the audience, inspiring props and special effects (Aladdin ‘flying’ on a magic carpet) all combined to engage and thrill the audience. A memorable12 days of Christmas song this year made the audience roar with laughter, as dozens of toilet roles were thrown about from the stage and the audience, causing mayhem! For myself and others, I consider the adlibbing to be one of the favourite parts of the Pompey Panto as you could see the cast members enjoying the unexpected deviations from the script.
The band, consisting of Musical Director and Keys 1 Andrew Woodford; Deputy Musical Director and Keys 2 Joel Colyer; Deputy Musical Director Keys 2 Tom Davison; Guitar Paul Welsh; Percussion Jamie Woodford and Bass Tim Marshall were excellent, showcasing their individual musical talents.
I would thoroughly recommend this show and guarantee you will have a brilliant evening of entertainment. Start and end the Christmas season off with a visit to a traditional Pompey Panto!
This is very much worth a 5 star rating and is suitable for everyone, young and old, who wants to get into the festive spirit!
Rating: 5/5
Performances now from 11th December 2025 to 31st December 2025 with a wide range of times available; at 10.30am, 2.30pm and 6.30pm. The running time is approximately 2hrs 30mins including an interval. Prices start from £10.00 to £32.00.
For more information or to book tickets, visit www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk or call the box office on 023 9282 8282.
Kings Theatre, 24 Albert Road, Southsea, PO5 2QJ