The pantomine is always guaranteed to put you into a good mood over the festive season and this year’s was no exception. On Thursday 16th December, the cast put on a spectacular performance of “Aladdin” at the Theatre Royal, a rarity for one of the first shows of the season.
It is easy to see why the show’s organisers gave the most publicity to Cannon and Ball as at times, it seemed like it was just another Cannon and Ball show. It wasn’t until someone else came on stage that you remembered it wasn’t. Despite this, the other cast members gave a captivating performance that entertained all ages.
PC Ping and PC Pong, Cannon and Ball, forgot their lines in some places and weren’t able to continue in others because they were laughing too much. The audience participation when these two were on stage was more than any other actor in the performance. They provided comedy value to the pantomine and got a laugh every time they appeared on stage.
Robin Askwith also interacted well with the crowd as the bad guy, Abanazar, especially when the audience shouted things out at him during the performance. Widow Twankey, played by Steve Barclay, was another highlight, coming out in an array of costumes that made everyone laugh at one point or another.
The script itself was changed so that the jokes involved different aspects of Lincoln. It seemed that this was something which had been done before and everyone saw the funny side of them. The story was loosely similar to the classic that we all know and although there were differences, the story flowed well and it didn’t matter to the audience that they had changed it.
The costumes were what tied the whole thing together. From the little dancers’ to the main characters’ costumes, you could tell that each one had been thought out and that great care had been taken to make sure that they were right for their wearer. The costumes were a definite highlight of the night, especially during the last scene where everyone came out wearing the same colour.
It seemed that the audience were pleased with the performance that at one point all you could hear was laughter. They shouted and chanted as much as they could and really got involved in the panto spirit. A great pantomine that kept you entertained right up until the end.