Aladdin

After a three-year hiatus, and an £11.3 million redevelopment, Colchester’s Mercury Theatre is back with a bawdy and creative pantomime take on Aladdin.

Ryan McBryde’s production loosely follows the Disney plot, but the most captivating scenes involve panto dame Widow Twankey, played by Mercury stalwart Antony Stuart-Hicks, who is entering his sixth season at the theatre.

Dressed in a variety of outrageous, lurid pink outfits, with striking drag make-up and a wig that keeps increasing in size, he taunts the audience with unashamed confidence and ad libs with ease. No joke is out of bounds: even Prince Andrew’s Pizza Express trip gets a mention. This panto is for adults as much as children, and enthusiastic audience participation is not only encouraged but expected.

The wardrobe team has produced an incredible variety of costumes and the attention to detail is impressive, from the Emperor’s Louis Vuitton-inspired all-in-one suit to Humphrey the Camel’s bejewelled beard and ears. While the Aladdin plot may be secondary to panto laughs, the costume team leans into the film’s Arabian aesthetic, with lots of jewels, hareem pants and silks in cobalt blue, jade and gold.

The Emperor’s visit to Twankey’s beauty parlour is a highlight, with plenty of ludicrous slapstick comedy, clever illusions and striking scenery. The chaotic scene, which takes the Emperor from an aggressive massage with a mallet to a piping hot sauna box, is well coordinated by choreographer Donna Berlin.

The hard-working cast is fronted by James Hameed as the likeable Aladdin. His boyish grin and charming relationship with sidekick Humphrey – played with gusto by Dale Superville – immediately endear him to the audience, but his powerhouse vocals lend real weight to his performance. Hameed masters pop-rock hits from Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now to Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey, and is strong in the music medley with Danielle Kassaraté (as Princess Jasmine).

There are so many panto twists and turns stuffed into McBryde’s production that sometimes it loses its way, and Aladdin’s constant references to his belief in the power of rock music feel a little laboured.

It’s also a shame that the production doesn’t do more with its female lead: Kassaraté as Jasmine is initially promising, pulling out a copy of Michelle Obama’s Becoming and showing off some rock skills, but little is done to shift the knight-in-shining-armour narrative. Nonetheless, this is a crowd-pleasing pantomime.