Christmas Cheer At York Theatre With Aladdin

Ooh, it’s that time of the year again—oh yes it is! York serves as the setting for this year's Theatre Royal production of Aladdin, a wonderful mashup of locations and cultures (some exotic, some not so exotic!) and a fabulous, fresh, and fizzing cast bursting to share their Christmas cheer with us all—a great start to the Christmas countdown.

York Theatre Royal continues to work collaboratively with Evolution Productions (writer Paul Hendy and producer Emily Wood), and the result is a modern, most appealing pantomime—a particular treat for youngsters who are attending their first live panto, experiencing the genre in all its joyful form.

It was good to see our own Theatre Royal gem, Juliet Forster, directing again, working closely with fellow colleague Hayley Del Harrison, who is such a vibrant choreographer. Juliet directed Evie Pickerill (Spirit of the Ring) as Shakespeare’s Juliet for a CBeebies production and helped Evie to shape for the role. 

As well as her own wonderful theatre work as choreographer, Hayley has achieved great success choreographing some inspiring pieces for CBeebies too, so there’s a warm connection between Cast and Creatives to begin with, which reflected very well in the Press Night I attended with my family. 

The cast exhibited a delightful camaraderie, with principals and ensemble fostering a relaxed, festive atmosphere. As true professionals, they made it seem effortless to enjoy themselves on stage, a result of extensive rehearsal work.

Over the years I have seen a lot of tired pantos, with actors merely going through the motions—oh wow, I can’t praise the cast enough for their energy and enthusiasm and their wonderful connection with the audience. Musical Director/Arranger/Drums Edwin Grey did a fantastic job with his band, Keys Alex Faulkner and Guitar Neil Morgan, and there was some lovely banter between him and veteran performer Robin Simpson, which all added to the fun atmosphere of the evening. 

I joined in enthusiastically with my grandchildren as we all greeted Betty, the Spirit of the Ring (Evie Pickerill, who was the perfect choice to play the part), loudly whenever she appeared, as instructed, and the same when Aladdin’s brother Charlie appeared on stage (enthusiastically portrayed by Yorkshire lad Tommy Carmichael), and everyone around us did the same—magic! Both the traditional Ghost behind the Bench scene and the numerous puns that were pondered throughout the show were a hit.

Robin Simpson was his usual zany self, playing Dame Dolly, and an absolute natural when it came to audience interaction (well done, Adam!). Paul Hawkyard relished his role as archvillain Ivan Tobebooed, and there was a lot of mileage to be made in his name, great fun, and a joy to see so many young, shining, happy faces all joining in with the fun.

Sario Solomon was a smooth, confident, outstanding Aladdin (call me Al!) who commanded the space whenever he appeared and was a breath of fresh air playing the principal role; I’m sure he had many young ladies (and probably not-so-young ladies) in the audience swooning in his charismatic presence!

Emily Tang was outstanding as his love interest, Princess Jasmine, a feisty, fabulous heroine who looked absolutely stunning, with no love duet where we would be squirming in our seats, with the children willing the duet to finish, but some fabulous, confident singing from both leads, as well as clever use of many catchy extracts from modern songs. The scene with the pressing button moments to express feelings in lyrics was one of many highlights of this innovative pantomime.

Rowan Armitt-Brewster's antics as PC World often stole the show, leaving us all laughing until we cried.

Watch for an amazing flying Magic Carpet scene, and let the many sparkling costumes and sumptuous sets (Morgan Brind) dazzle and delight you.

With reasonably priced tickets, this is a wonder world you’ll want to visit whatever your age.

Aladdin York Theatre Royal, until Sunday January 5th 2025