Aladdin Jr.

After the successful The Pirates of Penzance last year I was looking forward to Aladdin Junior and I was not disappointed. With a large cast and small stage, the sets were of necessity fairly basic, but very effective. I particularly loved the huge skull with red headlights for eyes representing the cave – very impressive.

The chorus, well-trained by Emily Crawford, was strong and confident. The choreography was appropriate and well executed. The dancers representing the magic carpet, glowing fluorescent in the ultra-violet light, was very effective.

Aaron Buffham-Teakle, who played Frederic last year, was Aladdin, and his easy voice and manner were perfectly suited to the role. Hannah Savige was a feisty Princess Jasmine with a strong singing voice. Tenzin Fox was a suitably smarmy Jafar, though his husky voice didn’t always carry in the singing.

Olivia Spoule, who impressed me as the Sergeant last year, was a very funny Genie while Patrick Murphy and Nathan Doolan did well as Razoul and the Sultan.

Good direction made for a fast-paced show and having entrances through the audience added interest. The young performers were confident and enthusiastic, which made for a most enjoyable show.

Well done ELT.

Graham Ford