Thurs 2 Dec 2010
★★★★★
Words: Kirsty Pearson
Getting all togged up, ready to face the snow in a mission to get to the Riverfront Theatre in Newport, for this year’s Pantomime, Aladdin, it couldn’t have felt more like Christmas.
The Riverfront Theatre is slap bang in the centre of Newport, andvery easy to get to. A popular venue with a family friendly welcome, they were obviously anticpating a lot of children; little activity packs were provided to keep the little ones entertained before the show got started.
The pantomime itself was fantastic. Full of customary panto jokes, a few adult jokes for the parents and of course a great dollop of “its behind you”, and “oh yes we are”. After all, what would panto be without it? The story of Aladdin was one which we were all familiar with. A few little twists and turns kept us guessing and there was even a display from the Red Devils, two men with poles (yes, poles) and a flying carpet!
Mark James played a blinder as Wishee Washee and kept the youngsters, and not so young, giggling at his silly antics throughout. Lee Mengo was hilarious as the infamous Window Twanky ensuring the kitsch star of panto shone brightly. Erin Richards played the Princess Baldroubadour, and Aladdin was played by Aled Powys Williams, both had great voices and nearly took the roof off with a string of catchy songs – a pair matched in panto heaven.
Richard Elis played the marvellously evil Abanazar who charged just the right amount of nastiness, without being too scary. We all had great fun giving him a great big boo and hiss. I have to say, the one thing that stood out for me was the number of great Welsh performers on stage. Yes, I know we’re in Wales, but that isn’t always the case with the great Christmas pantomimes. It was great to hear big Welsh voices filling the theatre. We finished the evening with a good old sing song which made us just as excited as the kids around us.
From the mouth of a six-year-old: “This is the best show ever; it’s awesome!” Enough said.
From just £5 a ticket, this is a fabulous festive family treat.