Aladdin represents a new phase for pantomimes in Cheltenham, with Phil Clarke’s significant tenure creating them now passing on to Peter Duncan. Aladdin is actually a regular choice for theatres reinventing their holiday output. So the Cheltenham Everyman closes out the year with an enjoyable pantomime that neatly encapsulates a traditional silly and raucous family outing, whilst heralding a year of change and ambitious programming for 2019.

Peter Duncan has vast experience writing and directing pantomime and demonstrates a steady hand at the helm. If you’re expecting a child-friendly romp of slapstick, musical numbers, audience participation and the odd bit of cheeky humour to keep the adults entertained, this will scratch that itch. It was a nice surprise for me that the show did not fall back solely on contemporary pop hits for its musical numbers – we get a few choice rock classics from the Beatles, Queen and Bowie thrown in there alongside the vogue material. This is a thoroughbred, in pantomime terms. Though Aladdin does lack a pantomime horse, for that matter…

Astutely lampshaded at the start by the Pantomime Police, a key draw for the show is clown, and star of Gifford’s Circus, Tweedy – who is returning to the Cheltenham pantomime this year. He’s got an easy and well-practiced rapport with the children in the audience, impressive and energetic clowning antics on stage, and best of all is determined to sabotage the performances of the leads. The second half in particular provides the most opportunity for him to crack an out-of-character guffaw from the remainder of the all-singing all-dancing cast.

One bugbear that did raise its head occasionally was some poor balancing of the sound levels. It’s a pity when the set-up to a gag or its punchline gets drowned out by the cacophonous sound effects, likewise some expository dialogue to facilitate a scene transition. Naturally a certain amount of verbiage in a panto is inane blather, and anarchic sound effects fit with the chaos on stage, but a little restraint on the volume would enhance rather than drown out the performers for the odd skit.

This doesn’t change the fact that by the end Tweedy et al had rung many laughs from the audience alongside the enthusiastic squeals and yelps from the children present, and a well-earned applause when the curtain went down. Sounded like a ringing endorsement to me.

★★★★☆     Fenton Coulthurst  8^th December 2018

Photo by Antony Thompson, Thousand Word Media