Pantomime

Aladdin

King’s Glasgow

Mary Brennan

four stars

In keeping with the traditions of this story, Aladdin’s lamp is visibly grimy and in need of a polish. It’s the only thing in this family panto, however, that isn’t already bright and shiny, with the whole cast merrily rubbing along together and delivering the magic of laughter for all ages in the audience.

Let’s not pretend that keeping tinies, teenagers, grown ups and senior citizens all amused and engaged is easy or straightforward but writer Alan McHugh definitely has the knack, and it shows. There’s no hanging about here.

As soon as Abanazar (George Drennan, in basso profundo mode) has announced his evil intentions, he (and we) have been informed that only Aladdin can enter the Cave of Wonders, and he lives in Peking.

Next stop – Peking, where Widow Twankey (the gloriously unstinting, unstoppable Elaine C Smith) is enjoying the wittily tweaked lyrics to This is Me and declaring ‘This is Twankey’. When Aladdin (Lee Dillon-Stuart) runs in,he immediately bring us up to speed about his romantic yearnings for Princess Jasmine – uh-oh! Wishee Washee says he loves her too. Fret not: Johnny Mac’s Wishee is soon too busy acting the eejit – and enjoying himself doing it – that Aladdin is free to get the girl.

Mind you, the Imperial Palace Guard (Paul-James Corrigan ) is keen to put a stop to that. As the mayhem and hilarity escalate, Corrigan’s comedic hard man becomes part of a gung ho team, led by Smith, who deliver knockabout antics in the ‘I’d rather be...’ action song.

It’s just one of the hugely entertaining routines in a show that really gets the most out of the tremendous talents on-stage. The song and dance numbers feed into the fast-paced story-telling, there’s a special effect – a flying carpet – that is loop-the-loop thrilling and Jasmine (Frances Mayli McCann) proves a feisty match for Abanazer, ensuring a happy ending all round. Smart work, smart fellas!