Haddenham Players' Aladdin

Hats off to Haddenham Players who presented three performances of the pantomime ‘Aladdin’ in Haddenham Village Hall over the weekend of Jan 31st January / 1st Febriary.

As most will know, Aladdin, the son of a poor laundry-woman, falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jasmine. Aladdin manages to secure the hand of Jasmine with the help of a genie from a magic lamp who makes him rich. But Aladdin loses his fortune when the villainous Abanazar tricks Jasmine into giving him the lamp. However, Aladdin outwits Abanazar, regains the lamp, and (plot spoiler!) they all live happily ever after.

It’s a twisted tale of trickery and treachery, and the audience was assisted by the narration of Fairy Nuff who explained between scenes what was going on. In this role, Cathie Deeley makes a strong claim for being the star of the show. A natural pantomime performer, she reminded the audience that ‘it’s not Shakespeare’ and berated them for discerning smutty meanings in her lines.

In the title role, Jess Whitham was also excellent, exuding enthusiasm and energy. As Widow Twankey, Ross Barnes eschewed the traditional high-camp version of the pantomime dame for a somewhat more butch ‘bloke in a dress’ style. He showed a good comic touch and a facility for that key panto skill – interacting with the audience. As Abanazar, Hannah Drayton-Freier gave us a suitably over-the-top demonstration of comic villainy. Beatrice Jeffrey’s Princess Jasmine showcased a strong singing voice.

Sam Pickup was amusing as the would-be-villainous vizier, right-hand man to the emperor (Graham Stoney). Sally Miles and Joanna Heafield provided strong support as Wishee Washee and Minnie, respectively. As well as directing the piece, Samantha King managed to double up (treble up?) as the Genie of the Lamp/Spirit of the Ring. A special mention should also be made of Ottilie Barnes as Princess Lily – a small part but Ottilie gave an impressive vocal performance for one so young.

In the performance this reviewer saw, the audience clearly enjoyed the evening, forgiving the occasional forgotten line and entering fully into the spirit of the thing.

The show was scripted by John Yates, directed by Samantha King and produced by Gordon Lawson. Gillian Liddell was responsible for costumes; set design and stage management was provided by Doug Taylor; sound and lighting by Richard Matthews and Dave Watkins; props were by Andy Price; set build by Keith Handshaw. Finally, props (pun intended) to the stage crew Simon Whitestag and Paul Wilson for coping manfully with the many scene changes!

Kevin Cheeseman