REVIEW:

Aladdin: Lighthouse, Poole

By Jeremy Miles

LAST year’s attempt at replacing traditional pantomime in Poole with a show that ignored festive traditions did not fare well. So it is hardly surprising that Lighthouse, Poole’s newly refurbished centre for the arts has opted right back into the boo, hiss, it’s behind you conventions that families love so much.

To celebrate its recent re-opening following a £5.3 million makeover, it’s gone for a sure-fire favourite too with an all singing, all dancing romp-along production of Aladdin and it almost works a treat. With a fine cast led by actor and former Blue Peter Presenter Peter Duncan it should have been a magic carpet ride all the way to the final curtain.

But the first half of this show was frankly a little bumpy. Some wonderful set pieces were derailed by a lack of cohesion for which I suspect under-rehearsal was to blame.

Maybe there was a team-talk at half-time, who knows? But after the interval things really began to gel. Duncan, who also directs, was in full panto-villain mode as the evil Abanazer determined to con the hapless Aladdin (Waterloo Road actor Max Bowden) into bringing him a fortune via a curious magic lamp.

Aladdin must outwit his dastardly foe to win the hand of beautiful Princess XiaoXue (Emmerdale actress Sapphire Elia). There is of course lots of knockabout fun along the way courtesy of Aladdin’s mum, Widow

Twankey, played with gusto by Adam Price and nutty jobsworth police officers, Joey Joey and Pantaloon (Chris Larner and Laura Curnick).

But the real scene-stealer is Miguel Angel as the Genie of the Lamp who rocks up as a magic-maker with the style, moves and sound of Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury and David Bowie.

With plenty of audience participation, singalong fun and a story that ends happily ever-after, this pantomime looks certain to be a winner. They just need to sort those early performance gremlins out.

Aladdin plays Lighthouse at Poole until Sunday January 8.

Jeremy Miles