Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp flies into Sydney

It has taken me 60 years. At last I have now done it. I have seen my first pantomime.

I went along to see Aladdin and his Wondrous Lamp at the weekend. What a wonderful introduction to the world of pantomime it was.

Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp is produced by Bonnie Lythgoe and is being staged at the State Theatre in Sydney for just a short two week season, with only one week remaining.

What an exquisite theatre the State Theatre is. It is as though it was especially built just for this pantomime. Its ornate plaster ceiling and wall decorations are the fitting backdrop for Aladdin.

Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp is a musical version of the classic familiar Arabian Nights fairytale.

It is hysterically funny entertainment for all ages. Scattered amongst the full audience were children, teenagers, parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. It was clearly evident they were all enjoying themselves.

Pantomime has been very popular in Britain for years. Many are put on over the Christmas period. TV stars, who are taking a break from recording their TV shows, and other celebrities star in the pantomimes.

The main difference between a pantomime and traditional theatre is the amount of audience participation that is encouraged in pantomimes. The audience are also the stars of the show, and are welcomed to take part by interacting with the actors on stage.

In the performance of Aladdin and His Wondrous Lamp I saw, the audience becomes totally wrapped up in the excitement of the pantomime. They boo the villain and cheer the hero. The actors speak directly to some of the audience, and they run through the audience seating as if it was an extension of the stage. The audience also yells out to the actors on cue with appropriate responses.

Aladdin is a laugh a minute comedy. Some of the jokes are new. Some are old, such as the adaptation of the "who on first", "what on second" and "I do not know on third" baseball gag first used by the comic duo of Abbott and Costello. There are enough local references in the funny script to localise Aladdin to Sydney and Australia.

The sets and costumes are spectacular and take us back to the era of the Arabian Nights. The sets look as if they are paintings taken out of a well illustrated children's Aladdin story and picture book. The glittering costumes look good on all the various characters and allow the flexibility needed for all the energetic dance numbers.

The stars of the show come from a variety of backgrounds - TV, stage and sport. Some are new to the theatre stage whilst others have trodden the stage floor many times previously.

Ian “Dicko” Dickson plays Widow Twankey. She runs the local Arabian laundry and is the mother of her two boys Aladdin and Wishee Washee. Ian is a wonderful choice for Widow Twinkey, and the timing of his one liners is comic genius. His costumes are the standout in the show and would not look out of place at the Fashions on the Field on Melbourne Cup Day.

Kev Orkian, the London West End star and comedian, plays Wishee Washee, the lonesome son who works in the laundry. Kev is delightfully funny in his interactions with members of the audience and often fills in the gaps in the pantomime with his humour.

Mat Verevis, from The Voice Season 3, plays the good looking Aladdin. Mat sings and dances brilliantly on stage each time he appears. The pantomime revolves around Aladdin spotting the Princess from an apple tree and falling in love with her.

Lauren Brant, from I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here plays Princess Yasmina. Lauren is a gorgeous Princess and is all that young girls expect a Princess to be.

Jessica Rowe, from Studio 10, plays Princess Yasmina's mother, The Empress. Jessica is an over-protective but loving mother who has a royal presence on the stage.

Jono Coleman, the ad man on Studio 10, is ideal in his role as The Emperor. Jono interacts well with his Empress wife and the other characters in the pantomime. He is a very funny Emperor.

Beau Ryan, the former NRL player and regular on the Footy Show, plays the Genie of the Lamp. Beau is a wonderful Genie who hams up his part each time he appears when the magic lamp is rubbed. Beau is a very fit looking Genie with his muscular body shown off in all its glory in his minimalist costumes.

Josh Adamson, who was in last year's pantomime, plays the bad guy Abanazar. Josh plays the nasty role well in a nice way, and brings on the appropriate booing from the audience.

Prinnie Stevens plays the Slave Of The Ring as she sings, dances and links the various scenes of Aladdin together.

The lead characters are backed by a wonderful group of dancers and singers. Just think of the Wiggles and Hi-5 mixed up together in Arabian clothes as they make the stage come to life with their energetic choreography routines and singing.

There is a wide mix of contemporary music styles in Aladdin and his Wondrous Lamp, including songs such as “Treasure” (Bruno Mars), “Shake It Off” (Taylor Swift), “Viva La Vida” (Coldplay), “Chains” (Tina Arena) and “Party Rock Anthem” (LMFAO).

Keep an eye out for the dancing elephant, the flying magic carpet, and the falling snow.

It was interesting listening to the audience talk about Aladdin and his Wondrous Lamp during interval and after the show. The comments, from the young and not so young, related to how well they liked the show, the funny parts they remembered, and their favourite characters. The only negative comments I heard related to the audio levels being too loud in some scenes, especially with some of the spoken dialogue being too loud and harsh on the ears.

Aladdin and his Wondrous Lamp is so good that I can see it being taken on tour around Australia with local celebrities being used in other cities. For example, in Melbourne, an Aussie Rules player could take the role of Aladdin.

There is only one week left to see Aladdin and his Wondrous Lamp in Sydney before it concludes its two week season. You need to be quick to book your seat otherwise you may miss out.

I heard a whisper that Cinderella may be making a pantomime appearance next year. Keep your eyes open for details.

ALADDIN AND HIS WONDROUS LAMP

Where: State Theatre, Sydney

When: Thursday 9 July 11am and 3pm
            Friday 10 July 2.30pm and 7pm
            Saturday 11 July 2.30pm and 7pm
            Sunday 12 July 1pm and 5pm

Tickets: WWW.TICKETMASTER.COM.AU/ALADDIN Tickets range from $83.00 Premium Seats / $68.00 Adults / $47.00 Children
Family of Four Tickets and Group Booking Discounts also available!