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Synopsis The Pantomime story of Aladdin and the magic lamp. Widow Twankey, her no-good son Wishee Washee and the Chinese laundry usually provide the slapstick. What would you wish for...? Following the phenomenal box office and critical success of last year's Mother Goose, the Hackney Empire team are back with a sparkling, brand new production of Aladdin. Home to London's No1 pantomime, the Hackney Empire has received universal acclaim from audiences and critics alike and this year will be bigger and better! Written and directed by Susie McKenna, expect familiar faces from London's West End as well our Hackney panto regulars.
Clive Rowe’s pantomime dame is one of the wonders of the age and his sixth appearance at the Hackney Empire, in a really beautiful Aladdin directed by Susie McKenna, does not disappoint.
His Widow Twankey comes out of the Peking laundry in the Eastern province of Ha Ka Ney in a washing-line hat and glamorous housecoat and is soon schmoozing “Luke” from the front stalls on a “Slow Boat to China”. Rowe fills the theatre with his voice, charm and personality, but only prospers because of the rigour and discipline around him.
All the elements of the traditional story are new-minted but in the right place: there is stylish slapstick in the laundry (Matt Dempsey’s cute if slightly over-age Wishee Washee is put through the wringer and tumble-dried), a singing camel, a flying dragon to transport us to the deserts of Arabia (the flying carpet’s been clamped), a magic cave of baubles and gold-plated dancers and a great climax in the palace tower with the cast disguised as Egyptian sand-dancers fighting off a tribe mummified ninja warriors.
Steven Edis’ delightful new songs – visibly accompanied by a six-piece band led by Catherine Jayes in the pit – are blended in with appropriate pop numbers, best off all a company hoe-down to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” that is thematically appropriate in the love story between the genies of lamp and ring; these two are superbly played by an athletic, high-flying Kat B and a feisty Josephine Melville.
Aladdin himself is brightly, if a little stumpily, played by a thigh-slapping Anna-Jane Casey opposite the suitably anodyne princess of Claire-Marie Hall. The acting prizes go not only to the irrepressible Rowe, but also to Tameka Empson for her diminutive, hilarious Empress with social pretensions, David Ashley for his superbly timed, just nasty enough, Abanazer (“Bless you,” “Thank you”) and Stephen Emery and Anthony Whittle for their nicely contrasted comic policemen Ping and Pong.
Lotte Collett’s design is a treat, from the coloured front-cloths to the bamboo-framed interiors, the Chinese holiday procession, the chorus of fluffy pandas and the lovely wedding finale, a twinkling Christmas card of blues and whites and silver snowflakes. I can’t imagine a better traditional panto this year, so get down to Ha Ka Ney and raise a cheer for this glorious but sadly beleaguered theatre hoping for a Happier New Year.
Fantastic. A wonderful cast and setting -- and as for the dancing pandas. We're been singing the panda song ever since. - Quaint Irene
11 Jan 10
I saw this on New Years Eve and I can’t think of a better way to end the theatrical year. Hackney Empire is one of Victorian architect Frank Matcham’s great theatres and their panto has become the annual must-see (sorry Stratford East, but they’ve definitely overtaken you) with the definitive panto dame, Clive Rowe, one of our best musical theatre actors. There are no Z list ‘celebrities’, Australian soap stars or under-rehearsed American women with big boobs. The principal boy is another musicals star, the lovely Anna Jane Casey. There’s a baddie, a cheeky chappie and two genies no less. As soon as the talking panto camel comes on serious over-excitement sets in, but it’s topped by a rideable elephant, a flying dragon and eight - yes, eight! – tap dancing pandas. Heaven! The East End audience knows how to participate properly and the ‘he’s behind you’s’ are deafening. It was a less diverse audience this year - I think the word has spread and people like me are invading from other parts of London, stealing the local’s tickets – but it was just as rowdy. The cast and audience linked hands for auld lang syne and we all left feeling that the Christmas season was complete.
- Gareth James
08 Jan 10
The best, most whole-hearted, full-throated pantomime I have ever seen. Our son (a soldier, aged 21) settled down to hate every second of it, and even he was clapping along to the community song by the end. - Simon
27 Dec 09
Pretty awful! Camp over acting for the majority of the panto with only a handful of jokes that are directed at adults. I know that panto is aimed at the youger audience but this is supposed to be "the best aladdin ever" according to friends. Well if this is supposed to be "fun for all the family" then roll on death! I hated pretty much every minute of it... apart from the interval - A normal person
27 Dec 09
Chris Rowe is incredible...an amazing voice,tap dancer.Costumes and sets were fantastic. Great live band. Excellent cast. A most enjoyable afternoon, and the best of our theatre visits this Christmas... - Tracey Duncan
23 Dec 09
Saw Alladin and it was brilliant. What a lift to everyones spirits in these gloomy times. I never laughed so much at Clive Rowe and Tameka Empsons characters. The dancers were excellent, not a foot wrong, backdrops colourful and exciting. Don't miss it!! - Carol Smedley
04 Dec 09
Run don't walk to quite simply the VERY BEST Panto in London.
Other years have been good here but this year is outstanding.
The cast a joy, the sets and costumes a blaze of colour, a great band (which theatre still delivers 6 in their Panto pit??!!) and as for the camel, dragon, elephant and dancing panda's.......wow.
Hackney Empire long long main you produce work like this.
Thankyou..... - eastenders
04 Dec 09
My husband myself and two grandchildren enjoy Aladdin very much, the afternoon one was great l loved the Panda and all the other children that danced.Well done to everyone. - Mrs Button
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