AFTER being impressed with Pirates of the Pavilion back in the summer, I was excited to be invited back to Weymouth Pavilion for their festive pantomime.

Paul Ewen stars as Aladdin, a free-spirited young man who lives in Old Peking with his mother, Widow Twankey. The narrative centres around the conflict between Aladdin and the evil Abanazar (Jonas Cemm) who falsely claims to be Aladdin’s uncle in an elaborate attempt to steal his precious lamp.

There were many colourful characters, but Lee Redwood stole the show as the outrageous Widow Twankey. Lee fully embraced his feminine side with at least seven different outfit changes and hairstyles, the most memorable being an orange and white striped coat to match the traffic cone adorning his head.

When driving home, I did laugh to myself after spotting him brazenly heading out to lunch in full drag costume with the other perf-ormers. I joined a special performance for a school audience, which was attended by approximately 700 students from Binconmbe Valley Primary School, Wyke Regis Primary and Manor Park CE (VC) First School. The enthusiasm was palpable. There were several surprises including magic from Abanazar, who transformed a flame into a rose and – most unexpectedly – a real flying magic carpet, which hovered above the audience! There were several jokes which the young audience could relate to, including references to Harry Styles’ unruly hair and an imitation of the voiceover used on I’m A Celebrity. I appreciated the unique interpretation and how prod-ucers Ron Martin Management hadn’t tried to replicate the Disney film too much.

However, I would’ve liked to have seen the presence of Abu the monkey featured in some way. I felt sympathetic towards the teachers, who had to restore a sense of calm after the children frantically stood up and sat down to coincide with ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’ group sing-along. The girls really supported the relationship between Aladdin and the princess (played by Laura Jean Robins), which was especially evident when they were dancing away to Frozen smash hit Love Is An Open Door.

If you are still not feeling very festive, or would like to keep the children entertained in the quiet period after Christmas, I would recommend this local panto-mime.

There are performances right up until Sunday, January 4.

MARIA MORRIS