CHRISTMAS time means Pantomime and this year The Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage, has a winner with Aladdin, an exciting, colourful, crazy show offering plenty for all ages. There are MUMMIES , a Chinese sing-a-long and the return of the flying sweets,

CHRISTMAS time means Pantomime and this year The Gordon Craig Theatre Stevenage has a winner with Aladdin, an exciting, colourful, crazy show offering plenty for all ages. There are “MUMMIES”, a Chinese sing a long and the return of the flying sweets, besides lasers and a superb magic carpet, all this with a great cast, good music and the Happy Factor.

Rapturous applause greeted the dark menacing Abanazer played to perfection by John Altman, (don’t call me Nasty Nick), as he stood beneath the Great Pyramids of Egypt, but that soon changed to boos and hisses as he sort to trick and cheat his way to obtain The Ancient Lamp of the Orient, and the wealth it could provide.

The Spirit of the Ring, resplendent in gold, (Kate Burrell) informed Abanazar that the lamp could only be moved by a boy pure in heart (that excluded Nick) from the cave in which it lay. So our story moved on to Peking where we meet Aladdin (Craig Perry) and his brother Wishee Washee, a tremendous performance by Tom Beard, and we soon joined his gang, rubbing our head and calling out “ Hi Ya Wishee. Ee-ee-ee whenever he appeared.

Aladdin loves the Emperors’ daughter Princess Jasmin (Laura Emmitt) but she could only marry a wealthy man as they were penniless. In pantomime anything can happen, and it did. Abanazar tricks Aladdin into retrieving the lamp deep in the cave, the entrance closes leaving him trapped inside with it, and magic begins as he rubs the lamp.

Yes I expect you know a genie appears, but this one is way out, like Little Richard with attitude and “bling”. Phil Holden really made the part his own, fabulous.

Finally congratulations to everyone involved especially Paul Laidlaw as Widow Twankey. Lovely legs and great expressions, Brilliant!

Maureen Millard