Christmas isn’t Christmas without a trip to the theatre to watch a festive panto and for us it has to be the St Helens Theatre Royal, one of our all time favourite theatres were Regal Entertainments Ltd never fail to put on a fantastic show and this years Christmas extravaganza is Aladdin, one we were very excited to watch.
This year was our first time going to the theatre as a family of five and I was worried that our gorgeous, but rather vocal, 1 month old might scream the whole way throughout it but surprisingly she slept through the first half and was transfixed on the stage throughout the second. So now when I say this is a show for all ages, I really do mean ALL ages and I was so glad she was good as I would have been gutted if I had needed to leave early with her as the show was fantastic.
Aladdin is played by Robin Windsor who you may recognise from Strictly Come Dancing and if you are a fan of the show then you are in for a treat as never before I have ever seen a version of Aladdin where he can move like this, it gives a whole new meaning to whisking Jasmine of her feet! Watching those feet move so quickly and effortlessly up close is mesmerising.
Working alongside Robin is Scott Gallagher who plays his brother Wishee Washee, a character that is not in the Disney version of Aladdin and was therefore new to our boys but one that was loved by everyone and definitely delivered the laughs.
For anyone that has visited St. Helens Theatre Royal before you will no doubt be familiar with Si Foster, the resident dame, who this time he plays Widow Twankey. Si has the ability to roll with the punches, or in this case missed lines, wig malfunctions or fits of hysteria, in a way no one else can. He makes it all look so effortless that you question whether it’s actually a part of the scripted version or whether he has manged to add in extras and keep it flowing. What ever it is you will find yourself smiling every time Widow Twankey appears on stage as you know any scene with Si in it is bound to be hilarious, whether it’s meant to be or not.
Our firm favourite this year however was Timothy Lucas who plays PC Noodle, a scouse policeman who quite frankly is useless at his job but will have you howling at his one lines and innuendos from start to finish.
As always Aladdin at St Helens Theatre Royal is the panto of the year. It has something for everyone from a hilarious story line to songs that will have you dancing in your seats as well as pyrotechnic special effects and the brilliant 3D magic carpet ride. Every year it amazes me how such a small theatre can pull off such a larger than life, over the top, performance that would rival the big touring shows, yet every year it gets bigger and better and I can not recommend it enough.
If you are looking for a panto for the whole family, one that will have you laughing, dancing, cheering and booing all night long, then this is the one for you. It is currently on till 12th January and tickets start at only £13 so if you haven’t already then head over and book your tickets now, you wont be disappointed.
(We were gifted a family ticket to Aladdin St Helens Theatre Royal in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own).