Review: ALADDIN, Lyric Hammersmith
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan
Panto season has arrived at the Lyric Hammersmith with their freshest new show, a modern-day spin on well-loved story Aladdin, written by Sonia Jalaly. This show, directed by Nicholai La Barrie, is packed with magical moments and dazzling dances as audiences are transported to the familiar surroundings of West London as Aladdin (Andre Antonio) tries his best to impress Princess Jasmine (Aleyna Mohanraj) with the magical help of the Genie (Jodie Jacobs).
This reimagining of the original Aladdin story introduces a range of new characters, subplots and settings that really help this pantomime achieve its creative vision without compromising central elements of the classic story such as the romance between the leads. Imagine the original, add a launderette, some lovable line dancing enthusiasts and a villain experiencing his own ‘brat girl summer’ and you have yourself a truly unique spin on Aladdin.
In true pantomime fashion, Jalaly’s Aladdin is, at its heart, a comedy. The ensemble’s use of puppetry to portray singing birds, including the much-loved parrot Chanel, is an incredibly entertaining extra detail sprinkled in throughout the show. Other comedic moments of pure genius include discovering the Genie inside of Lidl, the stage manager’s regular appearance to reign in the dame’s ambitious ideas creating a meta-theatrical touch, and of course the inclusion of a Cardi B cameo, one must simply watch the show to find out her entertaining relevance to this story of Aladdin!
Emmanuel Akwafo portrays a fantastic, larger-than-life dame, Aladdin’s meddling mother Widow Twerkey, oozing with silliness and excellent at engaging with audiences and commanding attention. This is perfectly accompanied by Andrew Pepper’s villainous portrayal of Jasmine’s evil stepdad, Abanazaar. Pepper’s characterisation is charmingly wicked, regularly wreaking havoc upon stage, with an air of similarity to Lazy Town’s antagonist Robbie Rotten, well-deserving of the plentiful booing from the audience. Akwafo and Pepper brilliantly bounce off each other’s heightened characterisations through a combination of witty dialogue and dance battles; both are excellent at adding their own personalities to these pantomime stock characters.
Alexzandra Sarmiento’s choreography is electric, excellently performed by the multi-talented cast, featuring brilliant moments that blend styles of street dance and hip-hop, making the original story transfer perfectly to a modern-day setting. It is of no surprise that ensemble member Laura Dawn Pyatt is also the show’s dance captain as she brings magnificent energy to the choreography throughout the show and is simply a pleasure to watch perform onstage, bringing each dance move to life with plenty of dazzling pizzazz. The soundtrack to this version of Aladdin is the perfect blend of popular hits, from Olivia Rodrigo to Beyoncé to Charli XCX, although including a rendition of ‘WAP’ is certainly a bold choice for a family friendly show.
The costume design, created by theatre design studio Good Teeth, is larger-than-life with plenty of attention to detail to connect to each character, such as dame Widow Twerkey’s costume at the start of Act One. Twerkey’s uniform at the launderette she owns is cleverly crafted featuring a mesmerising coat in the shape of bubbles and a wig with a miniature wet floor ‘warning’ sign placed on the top, as well as plenty of colourful clothes pegs intricately added. Of course, having a sparkly pair of cowboy boots for every one of the dame’s outfits is a brilliant touch, a constant reminder of Twerkey’s passion for line dancing as well as an excellent fashion statement.
This production is incredibly funny and asks the big questions in life: what are the best wishes to ask a genie for, and can you really find true love at the launderette? A thrilling family show, which promises a magically entertaining rendition of a classic pantomime.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Heidi Downing
Aladdin plays at London’s Lyric Hammersmith until 5 January 2025, with further info here.
