The New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich has established a tradition of Christmas
shows – yes I know we’re still waiting for summer, but these things take time
to come to the boil – which blend pantomime as you know it with rock’n’roll.
This November it’s Aladdin who takes to the stage.
It’s written by the New Wolsey’s artistic director Peter Rowe with Alan Ellis and has a cast of actor-musicians performing over 20 rock and soul classics as they tell the story of hard-working Widow Twankey, her lazy son, dim-witted assistant, a mysterious traveller and a beautiful princess. Oh yes, there’s also a musical monkey and a magical genie.
The New Wolsey’s commitment to accessible theatre continues with a BSL signed performance on Saturday 2 January at 2.30pm, a touch tour and audio-described performance on Saturday 16 January (also at 2.30pm and a captioned performance on Thursday 21 January at 7.30pm. The late night special, a popular choice for work groups and Christmas party animals is on Thursday 17 December at 10.30pm. The last performance is on 30 January.
“Aladdin is a classic panto story which I love working on,” says Peter Rowe. “Nanas the monkey is great fun and a wonderful challenge for the actor playing the role. And it’s got great music – “Born to be Wild” being a real crowd-pleaser. I’m looking forward to another wonderful fun production and to giving Suffolk audiences a real Christmas treat. The audience contributes a lot to the success of rock ‘n’ roll panto and Suffolk audiences are very giving and always up for having a great time.”