Review of Aladdin at Perth Theatre

Dec 10 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PERTH Theatre has managed to magic up a cracking Aladdin which hits the target in all-round family fun and entertainment.

And it’s an excellent, mainly home-grown cast which takes its audience on a magic carpet ride into the wacky world – with a strong local twist – of the gallus Aladdin, his nice-but-dim brother Wishee Washee, his man-eating mother Widow Twankey and the evil, and nimble-footed, Abanazer, with his murderous intent on getting his hands on the Magic Lamp.

Add in the hilarious Fashion Police who morph into twin Gillian Keiths, plus teams of six talented local youngsters, a hunky genie, live music and impressive sets – and this fast-moving traditional panto is a real winner for Perth Theatre.

Even before the audience steps into the auditorium, the atmosphere is set for a delightful delve into this Aladdin’s cave, with ‘lanterns’ flickering in the theatre entrance.

Once the show starts, Lorna Craig as Aladdin immediately engages the audience with an infectious smile. Perth girl Lorna is forging a successful career as an actress, and deservedly so on the strength of her debut performance at Perth Theatre.

Comedian Bruce Fummey’s bounding enthusiasm as Wishee Washee camouflages his shortcomings as an actor, and it’s early on in the show that the young members of the cast are put through their paces with a super song and dance routine with ‘Don’t Worry’. These really are a talented bunch who are called upon by director Ian Grieve to be more versatile than youngsters of previous Perth pantos.

Amanda Beveridge and Helen Logan are two excellent actresses and in Aladdin their ability to turn a hand to any role shines through with their wonderful OTT comedy roles. One of the other many experienced thesps in this production is Graham Crammond, whose wacky Widow Twankey is everything – and a wee bit more – a panto dame should be. And he/she is appropriately dressed in outlandish Dame’s costumes courtesy of designer Monika Nisbet, who does a fabulous job on all characters.

The First Act closes in a wonderful cave scene where Aladdin finds the magic lamp. This was the most impressive of Trevor Coe’s set designs, which maintain a high standard throughout the production.

Hilarious moments come thick and fast after the interval, starting with Abanazer’s transformation into a leather-clad Bon Jovi for a great version of ‘Sweet Love (Lamp) of Mine’. Tom McGovern did not greatly impress as a traditional Abanazer but as a modern-day villain he really grabs the limelight.

Other crowd-pleasing post-interval musical mirth and mayhem includes a Lady Gaga double-header – great dancing from the youngsters and the Fashion Police in ‘Fashion’ and Widow Twankey’s simply hilarious ‘Poker Face’, aided and abetted by hunky genie of the lamp, Gareth Morrison.

The panto’s musical director is Robert Pettigrew, who is joined in the pit by John Sampson and Duncan Black.

2010 is the 75th anniversary of the creation of Perth Theatre Company, and this version of Aladdin is a worthy standard-bearer for Perth Theatre’s celebrated 75 years of entertaining families with traditional pantomime.

Aladdin continues until Saturday, January 8.

Alison Anderson