Taking a well-loved fairy tale and having it turned into a pantomime is one thing.

But having the lead character fly out over the rows of the audience on a flying carpet is quite another!

The Dreamstar pantomime production of Aladdin promised that they would deliver a memorable, magical performance at the Gaiety Theatre over Christmas, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

There were explosions, magical spells, an evil sorcerer and spirits appearing and disappearing in puffs of smoke, not to mention a brilliantly-realised dancing, flying carpet that held children captivated, spell-bound and sat permanently on the edge of their seats.

The actors each gave terrific, energetic performances, and they all were clearly enjoying themselves immensely.

Jack Divers was an engaging and suitably dashing Aladdin, and gave a number of great solo songs, most notably ’Rule the World’, sung from several feet over the heads of the audience on the flying carpet.

He was joined by a talented and enthusiastic cast, with Ann-Marie Craine again showing what a gifted actor and performer she is. She had a ball as the plucky Princess Jasmine, leading the chorus line through a series of dance routines.

The two genies, Alice Jones and David Lyons were also great to watch. Alice was a fun and bouncy presence, and David channelled Robin Williams straight from the Disney cartoon. If any criticism could be levelled, it was that I didn’t think David was used enough, as he was terrific and brought a lot of fun and magic to the stage whenever he was on stage.

Other special mentions must go to Chris Cain, who was the bad guy of the show. He was a suitably cackling, scheming Abanazer, and had the whole audience booing and hissing along with him.

David Artus, also the director of the show, threw himself into the comic role as Wishee Washee, and was matched by Matt James as an outrageous panto dame, Widow Twanky.

The gags were suitably cringe-worthy and close to the bone, the dance routines were tight and very well performed by the young chorus line, the supporting cast all had their moments, and the sets were spectacular. Even the cute puppet baby Elephant, Squirt, was a sight to behold.

All those involved with the show deserve a lot of praise. Clearly a great deal of work and effort has gone into producing Aladdin, and it has gone to produce a great evening of entertainment that will keep the whole family thoroughly entertained.

Aladdin is on at the Gaiety until Thursday, January 4. Tickets are available from £18, from villagaiety.com

by Mike Wade

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