Aladdin @ The Lowry, Salford Quays
The panto season is well underway and many big theatres have gone for well known TV stars in order to sell tickets. The Lowry recognises that these stars = big tickets sales. But in conjunction with Pele Productions, they also produce good quality material to keep all of the family entertained.
This years' effort, Aladdin is no different. There are many names in the cast but the main draw is 'man of the moment'- Bill Ward. Well known to viewers of Coronation Street as Charlie- the womanising builder, he features as part of a huge storyline at the moment and the producers have wisely cast him as villain of the piece, Abanazar. The actor clearly loves theatre after being in a long running soap and works the kids into a frenzy of activity whenever he appears.
David Flynn offers a clean cut hero for the audience to root for with a real down to earth quality. He has a superb singing voice and is more than matched by Casey Lee-Jolley's Princess Yasmin. Comic value is provided by Barbara Nice as Slave Of The Ring, Keith De Winter's Widow Twankey and Cleveland Campbell's Genie Of The Lamp.
This show has so much spectacle, comedy and audience participation – that it will be truly heard to beat this festive season. Valerie Murzak literally scales the heights in an acrobatic section – leaving you open mouthed. No expense is spared – the flying carpet does what it says on the tin and the genie also hits the rafters flying above the stage, leaving little ones in the audience staring upwards.
As this is a pop musical in the same vein as many other pantomimes, plenty of hits are covered. From Everything by Britney Spears to the obvious choice, Brave New World from the Disney version of Aladdin. Peter and Jordan may have murdered this one recently but Jolley and Flynn certainly bring it back to life.
Slapstick comedy, water pistols fired at the audience, relevant jokes linked to Manchester itself and a real sense of pace means that you are constantly entertained. Ward has experience of playing a villain so is the ideal choice here and he does so with real panache and enjoyment. He engages with the booing and fires ad- libs back at the crowd. Flynn knows how to get the kids on side. Jolley makes a beautiful Yasmin and has a wonderful pop star quality to her singing voice. Campbell plays the genie in a very Chris Rock- like fashion which works very well as the characterisations in pantomimes are cartoon in style. Nice and De Wynter up the ante with regards to audience participation and literally bring the theatre to life. These stars from Corrie, Emmerdale and Phoenix Nights prove there is more them than meets the eye. 
The only real flaw is that the music is pre-recorded. Not a problem generally but some of the backing vocals are not live. This would not matter too much if many of the ensemble remembered to mime. But many of them simply mouth the odd word and then give up. This slightly cheapens the production. But overall the dancers deliver and the supporting cast does a great job, keeping the audience smiling throughout. The children of the Cardwell Theatre School and Michelle Louise School deserve a special mention as they never put a foot wrong, dancing and singing in the background.
This is a great family show which goes some way to restoring the Lowry's reputation as the place to be this Christmas, following their lacklustre Cinderella last year. The kids on the night I went were animated; shouting and cheering for the whole two hours. As they filed out of the theatre, all you could see was smiling faces. Pantomime may be dated and oddly, only aired once a year, but this Aladdin proves that the kids still love shouting "Behind You!" when faced with as slick a production as this one.
Aladdin continues at the Lowry until Sun 7th Jan. To book, visit www.thelowry.com
Glenn Meads
