Fife’s biggest panto this year is Aladdin presenting all the elements of the traditional experience. Slapstick, audience participation, dancers, comedy, pop songs, costumes, life sized elephant (and a camel), camp humour, live music, glamour, fantasy and magic. The sets and scenes have never changed since music hall variety but this is all new to today’s youngsters and school groups, brownies and cubs all come along as a team booing the baddie Abananzer, singing with the character Wishee Washee and cheering the hero Aladdin played by Mark Wood.
A huge cast for a provincial theatre in this climate with 6 trained and beautiful dancers with additional acrobatic pair (Ping & Pong are excellent considering both are still theatre students with panto debuts) plus a major cast of eight. The young audience loved it and the parents too chortled over the one liners on a different level. Mark Wood as Aladdin is well experienced in theatre and carries his part with ease. Jennie Evans-Snell handles her vocals well in this her first pantomime and Stephen Docherty is a text book dame as Widow Twankey while Joyce Falconer will be known for her role in the first six years of River City not only has stage appearances here but can be credited as the writer for this production.
For Fife residents this is fabulous family entertainment without crossing any Forth bridge and where else does an elephant get a walk on part?
Till December 27th