Aladdin – A Family Pantomime

Is Aladdin one of the most popular family pantomimes ever? Oh yes it is!

Long before Disney commercialised it, the story of Aladdin has been a popular one in its own right. Enjoyed by children and parents alike from around the world, there is nowhere that this tale is expressed better than in the form of a Christmas family pantomime, where it is one of the most popular stories to perform. Pantomimes are fun, exaggerated kinds of plays, with the emphasis very much on family entertainment and audience participation. Sometimes the roles of men are played by women, and the women by men. And you’ll often have two or more actors playing the part of an animal such as a cow or a horse or a camel.

Around the world, you will find Aladdin themed hotel and casinos, which will often incorporate a very large shopping mall or series of venues themed on Aladdin or Ali Baba or the Genie of the Lamp. The Americanisation of Aladdin has served to bring the story to an even wider audience from around the world, and this is something that translates even better onto community stages like the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks.

Since the story of Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp arrived in Europe in the early 1800′s, Aladdin family pantomimes have been performed across the United Kingdom, in parts of Europe and in Australia. It must be said that the tale of Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp is sometimes merged with that of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Family pantomimes will invariably include the characters the children all love such as Wishie Washie, Ping, Pong and, of course, the Widow Twanky (no panto would be complete without him/her!). And the productions are usually jammed full of music and dance to keep the audience entertained. The Sevenoaks Entertainers production at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks, for example, will include as many as 14 dance numbers and even more songs.

Throughout the years, there have been numerous stage versions of Aladdin on Broadway and the West End, along with countless animated film versions of Aladdin, either pre-dating Disney’s version or shamelessly cashing in on it.

And the family pantomimes of Aladdin borrow a lot from Walt Disney themselves. Aladdin-related product are everywhere these days, from colouring books to soft toys. By strange coincidence, many of these items can suddenly appear on the stage in a local production. Do they look out of place…? Oh No They Don’t!

Kevin Maxwell does volunteer work as the backstage manager of the Sevenoaks Entertainers rendition of Aladdin

For more information on Aladdin and the Sevenoaks Entertainers, please check out the website [http://www.sevenoaksentertainers.co.uk]

 

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