Aladdin at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre – review

In writer Sonia Jalaly and director Nicholas La Barrie’s take on Aladdin, this year’s much-beloved Lyric Hammersmith pantomime, a fine storyline and script are lifted to great heights by excellent performances and a truly magical production.

 After opening in Hammersmith market, where Aladdin’s mum (Emmanuel Akwafo) runs the local laundrette, the gist of the story remains fairly familiar – Aladdin (Andre Antonio) meets and falls hard for princess-in-disguise, Jasmine (Aleyna Mohanraj), when she comes in to get her clothes cleaned, and decides to change himself to make sure he’s good enough for her. Meanwhile, Jasmine’s evil stepfather Abanazaar (Andrew Pepper) – “who ever heard of an evil stepfather!” – is determined to sustain his own place in the palace, and when he hears about a magic lamp in the middle aisle of Lidl, enlists the desperate Aladdin to help him. Chaos, of course, ensues.

 Firstly, the show is properly funny, both on a line-by-line joke level and with more extended bits, such as when Aladdin, explaining to Jasmine that he understands how much posh girls (just like one he met doing an art degree) want to be more normal, dresses as a goat and runs away through the palace, singing “Common People”. It’s piled up with great references and puns, taking us through Saltburn, brat, and the Upside Down, to name just a few.

The script is at its best when we’re away from the main plot line. Everything involving Akwafo’s Widow Twerky is particularly delightful, whether it’s her line-dancing rivalry with Abanazaar; surprising saucy romance with the Genie or ongoing determination to get herself an understudy.

When it comes to Aladdin and Jasmine, there’s something of an over-reliance on our pre-existing familiarity with their situations – we know that Jasmine wants to escape, but we don’t really know what from, and that Aladdin wants to make something of himself, but not really why. They get some great songs though, and Corin Buckeridge’s music in general is marvellous – effortlessly shifting us between the hilarious and the earnestly moving.

The performances are really excellent – Antonio’s Aladdin is as watchable whether he’s doing gags, dancing or bearing his soul; and Jodie Jacobs as the Genie and Pepper’s Abanazaar are deliciously camp in their respective good and evil roles. They get great support from the energetic chorus and slick choreography

It all comes together when we see Aladdin and Jasmine on their magic carpet escape ride after Abanazaar has trapped them in the depths of Lidl. It’s a genuinely breathtaking moment, getting gasps and applause from audience members of all ages, and speaks to the generally high production value. Good Teeth’s set and costume and Sally Ferguson’s lighting design evoke a rich and beautiful world – a little vague on location, but delightful to spend time in.

Overall, it’s a wonderful production that wonderfully balances the silly, the huge and the true – if you’re looking for something that perfectly lives up to the spirit of pantomime, then Aladdin will serve you well.