Each time a new pantomime opens at the Devonshire Park I go along wondering exactly how Chris Jordan can top the previous year’s production and each year, without fail, he shows me just how – and this year is no exception. Aladdin is everything a traditional pantomime should be, and a whole lot of things that other pantomimes wish they were!
As the Genie of the Ring, Hannah Levane is the first to take to the stage and it is very noticeable that, whether speaking or singing, her cool clear vocals float effortlessly over the music and easily fill the packed theatre.
Most famous as Barry Evans in Eastenders, but with a host of other credentials including West End musicals, national tours, stand up comedy work and as the singer with a soul band, Shaun Williamson makes a wonderfully self-deprecating Abanazaar.
He connects immediately with the audience and, although he is the baddie of the piece, he is a loveable rogue at heart.
The customary village scene is a wonderfully busy affair. The set is colourful, the music lively, the choreography energetic and the script is fresh, topical and cleverly written. These are the qualities that make Eastbourne’s pantomime stand head and shoulders above the rest. There are no half-hearted dance routines with lacklustre dancers counting their way through the steps but instead we are treated to superbly constructed and perfectly executed set pieces that wouldn’t look out of place in the West End of London.
The combination of Eastbourne’s regular pantomime duo Martyn Knight, as Widow Twankey, and Tucker, as Wishee Washee proves, once again, to be completely unstoppable. Their on-stage chemistry is both natural and endearing with their comedy routines, and one liners, hitting the target every time. Knight’s costumes are, without exception, absolutely spectacular and Tucker’s unscripted scene with a few of the younger members of the audience is as chaotic and unpredictable as ever.
Keeping to the age old tradition of the Principal Boy, it is Charlene Ford who plays Aladdin opposite Lucie Downer as Princess So-Shi and, while excusing the obvious gender confusion, they work well together as a couple. Both have superb voices and have great stage presence, as has Richard Pocock as the Emperor.
Also deserving of a mention are the amazing dancers Clare Butler, Mark Williamson, Maddie Hope Coelho and Jack North who are supported by Adam Shorey, who also takes the role of PC Pong. Throughout the entire show, and their plethora of costume changes, they continue to give everything they have and appear to love every second of it.
Final mention has to go to the showstoppingly mesmerizing CG Fraser as the Genie of the Lamp. His incredibly tight Lycra catsuit has to be seen to be believed and, using his soulful singing voice and 70’s disco gyrations, he grants Aladdin’s wishes and goes on to please those members of the audience that he leaves the stage to “entertain”.
As usual, there are numerous surprises in the show, none of which I would dare to reveal here, which, together with topical references and current hit songs, go together to make this the best, and deservedly the most popular, pantomime in the area. Tickets are already on sale for 2014’s production of Beauty and the Beast and so, if you want the best seats, be sure to make next year’s tickets, this year’s presents!
***** Five stars.