Fun for the whole family, Limelight Theatre’s production of ‘Aladdin’ is full of toe-tapping tunes, witty one-liners, and colourful characters throughout.
The pantomime pokes fun at the popular Disney adaption, telling the story of an ambitious young man, Aladdin (Jake Libbis) discovering a magic lamp and using its resident genie to win the heart of Princess Jasmine (Emily Patterson).
An unsuspecting crowd favourite comes in the form of Aladdin’s friend Wishy Washy played with gusto by Mutiara Libbis who embodied the goofy character well and had a beautiful voice, though unfortunately did not get many opportunities to show it off. Equally a highlight was Limelight debutante Ana Fernandez as the glittering genie of the lamp who showed great flair and was a pleasure to watch.
Earning the bellowing ‘boos’ from the crowd was the wicked Abanazar portrayed by Matt Winter. Though the show’s antagonist, he rightfully earnt his final applause for his energetic and charismatic performance.
Peter Giles has the joyful job of bringing to life the Dame, which in this story takes root in Aladdin’s dithering mother Widow twankey, offering plenty of laughs. While Sarah Mcdonald, Chris Juckes, Gordon Park and Christine Smith round out the featured cast as Noddy, the Emperor, Sergeant Ping and PC Pong respectively.
A highlight of the production is Gwen and Dave Browning’s set, largely dominated by a beautifully painted mural that brings to life the ancient town in which the story takes place. The cleverly designed laundry room made the scene with Noddy particularly fun to watch, while the effects throughout were also a surprising treat.
Though several well-known songs were used across the performance, I do think some of the song selection was slightly odd or dated at times. Though well performed, I felt both duets between Aladdin and the Princess could’ve benefited from alternate selections, with one leaning more friendly than romantic and the other seemingly unknown to audience members sitting in my vicinity.
In the case of a pantomime, where half the fun is in picking the music, I do also think it’s important to consider the vocal abilities of your cast members. I couldn’t help but feel several female characters were under-utilised in cases where they were left to sing songs that sat quite low in their register, due to the songs being originally written and performed by men.
It was fabulous to see people of all ages taking to the stage, with Fiona Scott and Madison Allen’s choreography doing well to accommodate all dance abilities. Though it could have been cleaner in parts, a special mention must go to Kyra Havel and her acrobatic abilities as well as the four featured tappers in We’re in the Money, with this avid theatre-goer recognising the familiar costuming and props from seasons past.
A great school holiday outing for the young ones, congratulations to all involved.
To book tickets to Aladdin, please visit https://www.taztix.com.au/event/limelight/.
