Aladdin, Lyric Hammersmith Review
The Cast of Aladdin at Lyric Hammersmith. Photo by Manuel Harlan
Written by Amelia for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The production features loud bangs, flashing lights, strobe lights, pyrotechnics and confetti canons.
Following rave reviews of their 2022 Jack in the Beanstalk production, writer Sonia Jalaly and director Nicholai La Barrie are back at the Lyric Hammersmith for another panto season. Aladdin is a tale that everyone knows and is used up and down the country every year as Christmas etches closer. This high-flying production gives a modern spin on the classic Disney film and establishes itself early on as the coolest panto of the year. There’s rapping, hip hop choreography and a whole lot of ‘Yee-Haw’!
The key to a good pantomime is audience engagement and participation, which this production has in buckets. Each actor captures the stage so well, that it’s impossible not to get involved. Jodie Jacobs, as the Genie, in particular had the audience in the palm of their hand from the get go. Jacobs was utterly hilarious and has pipes of steel, all further complimented by an array of magic tricks. They gave such a memorable performance, it’s no surprise this is not their first rodeo!
Our love interests, Aladdin and Jasmine, were portrayed by Andre Antonio and Aleyna Mohanraj respectively. They had great chemistry on stage and had vocals that took us to a whole new world. Antonio led the production with conviction and charm; his rendition of ‘Finesse’ to set the scene was a real treat. Mohanraj was a delight throughout but really kept us waiting til towards the end of act two when she absolutely brought the house down with Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Vampire’. The staging of this scene was incredibly clever without entirely distracting us from Mohanraj’s wonderful performance.
Back again for another panto season, Emmanuel Akwafo’s Widow Twerkey was a highlight of the show. The sheer stage presence and commanding of the audience was unlike anything I’d seen in a panto before. The show does not stunt cast with celebrities and therefore relies on the actors to deliver as any other panto does, and Alwafo is the quintessential panto performer. Their chemistry with villain Abanazaar, played brilliantly by Andrew Pepper, was captivating. Their comedic timing and ability to bounce off each other was perfection. Pepper was the archetypal villain, really hyping up the crowd and being as evil as possible. I found myself constantly going to clap him instead of boo because he was just so good.
Proving much smaller compared to other pantomime companies, this production only has 4 members of the ensemble. Laura Dawn Pyatt, Summer Priest, Isaiah James-Mitchell and Francisco Gomes were great additions to the cast and I couldn’t take my eyes off them in the group routines. The choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento was fresh and modern and complimented all the ensemble really well. I must say, Gomes as Cardi B was a real standout for me but I won’t give any more away!
Special shoutouts to Good Teeth for set and costume design and Sally Ferguson for lighting design. The set was not the most elaborate for a panto, but encapsulated everything the story needed. The lighting was fabulous, and making a sign saying Aladdin fade away to say Lidl was absolutely brilliant. You’ll have to make your way to Hammersmith to find out why Lidl is even present in this show.
Although all these character tropes are present in every panto, I really felt that everyone in this cast made their own choices and put their own spin on the material. This sets them apart from other productions massively and cements the Lyric Hammersmith pantomime as one not to miss. Dare I say that I preferred this to the Disney musical version of Aladdin that I saw earlier this year. Make sure you catch it this Christmas season!
At Lyric Hammersmith until 5 Jan 2025.
