Cumbernauld Theatre Star rating: ***
The full title of this show for younger audiences begins "The enchanting tale of Aladdin " - but with so many tinies increasingly accustomed to finding enchantment on-screen, or from their own hi-tech gizmos, can the decidedly lo-tech environment at Cumbernauld really deliver the spell-binding mystery implicit in those words?
Well, it's words, more than anything else, that director Ed Robson is relying on to capture the imagination of weans who - like those around me - are probably still exploring the foothills of the alphabet. At times, there are too many words: a witty idea, like having Abanazar consult a cosmic information base (a kind of speaking Google-genie), loses sharpness because the talking head is overly verbose. But when the traditional story-telling that Robson champions is matched by well-considered elements of physical theatre, then this Aladdin really does draw us all in.
Right from the start, we know that we're watching make-believe. The cast of five are strolling players who need to find a new tale to entertain a bored king. Whatever comes to hand - musical instruments, colourful cloths, a different hat - is whisked into the action to provide sound effects or signify a change of character. It's the ideal stuff of child's play, kept lively by the sheer enthusiasm of the cast who act as if the lamp - and Abanazar's snake-eye rings - really did have magical properties. Their energy and versatility are, of course, the real magic here. And from the way even the littlest tots boo-ed Abanazar (Ian Sexon, grandly villainous) and helped the Genie with her spells, that promise of an "enchanting tale" clearly holds true.
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