A Traditional Panto - Aladdin At Bournemouth Pavilion

Last night the hubby and I headed back to Bournemouth Pavilion for a night of “he’s behind you” and “oh no he didn’t” It has been years since I watched a Pantomime! I used to go every year as a child, it used to be a bit of a  tradition! Aladdin certainly didn’t disappoint! It was full of panto traditions, colourful sets, sparkly costumes, and funny ad libs!
 
I forgot how chaotic and silly a pantomime is. It was however such light relief from the seriousness of everyday life, and the constant talk of Brexit (sorry I said it). Aladdin was what theatre should be about. Bringing people together to laugh, sing, dance, and let go of all inhibitions!

I did get a bit confused about the narrative at times. It didn't follow the traditional Aladdin plot (for example it was meant to be set in China). Once you got your head around this you just sort of went with it!  

All of the actors were fab and full of energy, you could see just how much they enjoyed it. In particular the character of Widow Twanky played by David Ball was great! He acted like being on stage was a bit of a hassle for him! He forgot his lines a couple of times, and did corpse but this added to the charm of it. Amelia Lily who played Spirit of the Ring added another dimension to the pantomime. Her voice was incredible, and gave the whole thing an impressive edge. I thought the children who helped form the chorus were so sweet! They did so well.

The set design was technically impressive, in particular the design of the washing conveyor belt was very interesting. There were so many scene changes throughout the pantomime. I liked the way they hid these changes by having scenes with characters in front of a painted curtain. The lighting also played a huge role in making the performance come to life.    

​If you are looking for a good old giggle, and a colourful feast for the eyes I would definitely recommend a trip to see Aladdin with all of the family! It is on until January 5th 2020 at Bournemouth Pavilion.
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(This was a gifted experience via BH Live, however all of the above opinions are my own. The images belong to BH Live)