Nothing gets you in the Christmas spirit quite like going to see a pantomime, and last night, our family went to see Aladdin at Venue Cymru and we loved it.
Boasting a sumptuous set, there are some stand out moments in Aladdin such as a huge snake, which shoots out streamers at the audience!
And also Aladdin, ably played by Luke Higgins, goes on a magic carpet ride which takes him just above some of the audience, fantastic!
We have been going to Venue Cymru for many years to see the pantomimes, and this year comic John Evans celebrates his tenth consecutive year there.
He is a fabulous performer, and really engages with the audience, both young and old, and his Wishee Washee is a mischievous, cheeky and loveable rogue.
Andy Jones as Widow Twankey, also brought the house down with the fabulous costumes, quick fire wit and incontinent dog (no explanations, go and see the show!).
Former Wales international Gareth Thomas had a whale of a time as the Genie of the Lamp. He had boundless enthusiasm for the role and was clearly enjoying himself immensely on stage. His line about finally coming out (out of the lamp) brought a wonderful reaction from the audience.
As it was only the second performance of Aladdin, there were a lot of mistakes, and lots of corpsing, which the audience loved and makes a pantomime even better for the grown ups.
I loved Michael Howe as the baddie Abanazar, the audience are asked what should be done with him at the end when he is captured. Some over enthusiastic youngsters shouted ‘Kill him’. To which Gareth Thomas replied: “We can’t kill him kids, it’s only a pantomime!”
Luke Higgins is truly a joy in the role of Aladdin, he actually reminded me of a young Tommy Steele. And I howled when John Evans slipped in the line “I loved you in Half a Sixpence!”
My eight year old daughter Mia did not stop talking about Aladdin all the way home, we were lucky enough to be invited to an after show party celebrating John Evans’s 10 years, and she got to meet all of the cast who were very sweet to her.
Go and see Aladdin, it’s a sure fire hit, which young and old alike will adore. The cast and crew have done a wonderful job, it’s a real crowd pleaser.
