Pantomime
Aladdin
SECC, Glasgow
Mary Brennan
four stars
THE FRONT cover of the programme says Aladdin, but the man above that title is. . . Abanazar. Steely of gaze, sardonic of (almost) smile, this is a necromancer out of Game of Thrones – and, originally, that chart-topping group, Wet Wet Wet. Yes, folks – the arch-baddie in this year’s SECC panto is Marti Pellow.
Being cool and snakily menacing while all around you are cracking fart jokes and jousting with dubious puns demands acting skills. Pellow triumphs, to the point where he can afford to lose gravitas by joining in the tricksy rapid wordplay between Widow Twankey (Iain Stuart Robertson) and Wishee-Washee ( Johnny Mac) where a slip of the tongue lands you rudely in the sh. . .ort-sleeved shirts under scrutiny.
Mac’s Wishee, meanwhile, is romping around as if his catchphrase – “I’m enjoyin’ myself” – is the truth. Actually, he’s got the lion’s share of the funny business, he’s got all of us onside as his pals, and he’s wise to the ways of a spot-on daft laddie. He has a lot to enjoy, and as a result, so do we.
Not quite so rewarding, however, is the QDOS tendency to put special effects before story-telling. This year’s clutch includes a larger-than-life King Kong who directs Abanazar to the lamp, a lengthy 3D sequence full of in yer face scary beasties, a short appearance by walk-on elephants and – the only really appropriate one – a flying carpet that whooshes Aladdin over the stalls. Frankly, the casual line that the Magic Ring was lurking in the laundry doesn’t wash, while the Genie – a huge, raggedy-looking puppet sounding like the Big Yin – isn’t remotely magical. Thumbs up, however, for the top quality song and dance numbers, and loud cheers for Pellow and Mac who bring personality and style to this merely big’n’brash show.
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