REVIEW: Aladdin, Spa Theatre, Scarborough

The Bloomfield's annual pre-Christmas pilgrimage to the Scarborough Spa pantomime saw three of us head down to South Bay and we came away fully entertained after an action-packed and funny show.

The enchanting story of Aladdin is always a winner in our household and this proved to be the case once more as the panto swiftly got into the swing of things by introducing us to the cheeky young hero who had designs on winning the hand of the beautiful Princess Jasmine, with a little help from the magical Genie of the Lamp.

Nicola Lagan puts in an excellent performance in the lead role, equally at ease with the comedic elements as the musical numbers, several of which had my youngest daughter Macie, five, entranced, especially the duets with Jasmine (Cobie Scott-Ward), who was Macie's favourite character.

The rags to riches story sees the evil Abanazar, played with relish by Glynn Mills, trying to trick Aladdin into doing his dirty work for him, but it is laundry owner Widow Twanky (Aladdin's mother) who cleans up most of the laughs along with her other son, Wishee Washee (Antony Howes).

Phil Beck delivers the goods once again as the panto dame, firing one-liners at will at the audience, who lapped up every one, while Howes' corny jokes also kept the adults and children chuckling.

Also weighing in with their fair share of laughs are sisters Seren and Elise Whyte as hapless police officers Ping and Pong, their wordplay with Widow Twanky in one particular routine in tribute to Abbott and Costello showed that true comedy is indeed timeless.

The local young dancers from the Hatton School of Performing Arts once again show their skills from start to finish in the upbeat musical sequences.

Tony Peers Productions has produced the goods yet again with this panto, and I would urge anyone wanting to get that festive feeling to head down to the Spa Theatre for this treat for all the family.

There are performance from now up until Sunday January 1, and tickets for Aladdin are priced at £15.50 (adults), £14.50 (concessions), £10.50 (children) and £42 / £48 (family).

Tickets are available from www.scarboroughspa.co.uk or via the Scarborough Spa Box Office (01723 821888).