Theatre review By MARLA PAYNE
If you’ve got tickets for this year’s Hall for Cornwall pantomime, Aladdin – you’re in for a treat. The show takes elements from the traditional story and turns it on its head in a version that’s sure to put a smile on your face.
The real star of the show is Edward Rowe, also known to Cornish audiences as Kernow King, who returns to the stage as the hilarious Widow Twerkey after his successful panto debut in Jack and the Beanstalk last year.
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much at a panto before. Alongside comedy character Willy (Gareth Cooper), Rowe has the crowd in stitches with the perfect mix of jokes to land with adults and children – as expected, there are a lot of innuendos and a ton of twerks.
Expect to feel right at home with constant Cornish references, including a whole song about local places and an insane number of pasties – one of which is called Warren and does a tap dance.
The two had the crowd shouting, laughing, screaming and even singing about pasties, as well as dancing along.
Admittedly, I wouldn’t complain if the whole two-hour performance was just Rowe (who also co-wrote the show with Richard Healey) and his sidekick, as I spent the scenes featuring just Aladdin (Alexander Jude) and Jasmine (Jasmine Cole) waiting for them to reappear – although the couple do display some very impressive vocals, including in parodies of popular songs such as Chappell Roan’s Hot to Go.
The special effects this year bring the real magic – alongside golden streamer canons, bubbles and clever lighting, most impressively of all Aladdin actually gets on his magic carpet and flies over the audience.
I’ve never seen anything like it at a pantomime – Hall for Cornwall has definitely set the standards high for next year’s performance, which was announced at the end to be Dick Whittington.
Overall, Aladdin really took my breath away and director Nick Evans and his team deserve huge praise for producing one of the best pantomimes I have ever seen.
Prepare to be swept away to a hilarious world of magic and fun.
This story is one of five reviews of Aladdin, find the other stories here:
Tia Boddey: Twerking, pasties, and magic: Aladdin delivers laughs at Hall for Cornwall
Katie Winsor: Say goodbye to 2025 on a magic carpet ride
Maisie Milward: Cornish magic sprinkled over an unmissable Aladdin
Marla Payne: Aladdin: You’re in for a treat
Fleur Rogerson: Kernow King reigns true in Hall for Cornwall’s unmissable Aladdin