Aladdin, Coggeshall Amateur Theatrical Society, Coggeshall Village Hall, January 5-7
All the ingredients of a pantomime are here. Cross dressing, deliberately feeble puns, the odd topical reference and of course the requirement of the audience to boo and hiss and shout at the stage.
The show was written and directed by Lewis Miller, who is also an exuberant Widow Twanky, livening up the stage whenever he (she) appears.
Clive Clark is the innocent and permanently perplexed Aladdin with Roger Hearne as the imposing Abanazar.
Deborah Mansell brings her sweet singing voice to the role of the princess while Barry Bridges doubles up effectively as the genie and the dungeon master.
Producer Clare Gamblin and Jackie Younger have fun with PC Gamer and his (her) ‘Not at all PC’ colleague while Stephanie Smiley brings a touch of Sybil Fawlty to the Slave of the Ring. Caspar Wort is suitably wishy washy as Wishee Washee and Michael Horne quietly conniving as the emperor while Rachel Richards makes the most of her throwaway lines as Thyme.
By Ron Fosker
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