Aladdin At The New Theatre, Cardiff Review

Reviewed by Mrs_Taylor

I love pantomime! It is the perfect way to get into the festive mood and you just know you are going to have lots of fun. You do need to show a COVID pass/ proof of a negative test on arrival and to wear your mask but it was just so lovely to be at the theatre and you soon forgot you were wearing it!

So I was incredibly excited to be able to go and see Aladdin at the New Theatre especially because it had so many famous names taking part – Paul Chuckle is Wishee Washee, Gareth Gates is Aladdin, Gareth Thomas is Genie of the Lamp and Mike Doyle is Widow Twankey! There is also Stephanie Webber as the lovely Scherezade, Denquar Chupak as the beautiful Princess Jasmine, Stephan Pejic as the evil Abanazer and Lorraine Brown as the wonderful Empress.

I was particularly intrigued as to how Gareth Gates and Gareth Thomas would be and by the end of the panto I had mixed views. Gareth Gates as Aladdin had several excellent scenes where he sang and showcased his voice (which was fantastic), however his acting seemed a bit forced and wooden at times. I felt as though he was reading his lines to the dot, and not wanting to deviate. Unfortunately this gave the air of a slightly uncomfortable performance. I would argue the same for Gareth Thomas. I love Gareth Thomas and while I know the panto is meant to be over the top, his Genie of the Lamp was VERY over the top! I cannot fault his enthusiasm and energy which is perfect for the panto, and I hope he partakes in more pantomimes – as he does so he will become more and more natural on stage and I look forward to seeing them both on the stage again.

It was Paul Chuckle as Wishee Washee and Mike Doyle as Widow Twankey who definitely stole the show – from the effortless jokes, to the nostalgic chuckle vision theme tune whenever Paul appeared, to the extravagant costumes that Mike wore…they were both fantastic and I would highly recommend you go and see the panto just for them!

The ensemble was made up of six actors who were also brilliant, they appeared in almost every scene so the amount of dance routines and costume changes they went through was incredible and the choreography throughout was perfect! The set design, lighting and props were also fantastic and the magic carpet just before the interval was really special. I genuinely have no idea how that magic carpet works but it was very impressive!

I had really great seats in the stalls which gave me a great view of the stage and there was plenty of legroom. The atmosphere and energy from the crowd was contagious and I would pick these seats again for a panto.

At 2 hours and 15 minutes (with interval) the time passed so quickly and it ended on such a high – with everybody on their feet clapping and dancing along. It is so cold and dark at the moment and Aladdin is a really great way to spend an evening – particularly as it is perfect for all ages!

Rating: 4/ 5

Tickets cost from £19.00 to £37 and there is no booking fee.

Aladdin is at New Theatre, Cardiff from Saturday 4th December 2021 to Sunday 2nd January 2022, for more information or to book tickets visit:
https://newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/Online/pantomime-tickets-cardiff-wales
or call the box office on 0343 310 0041.

New Theatre, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3LN.