This year’s panto production of Aladdin at the New Victoria Theatre Woking, features starring roles for Brendan Cole as The Spirit of the Ring and the nation’s favourite Bobby Davro as Wishee Washee. And you certainly won’t be disappointed by this hilarious production as it takes you on a magic-carpet ride to be remembered.
Featuring all of the traditional pantomime ingredients, bucket loads of hilarity, plenty of laugh-out-loud jokes, sensational special effects along with fabulous singing and dancing, there’s no better way to get into the spirit this Christmas.
Widow Twankey, played by David Phipps-Davis, steps out in costumes that get more and more outrageous as the show gathers pace. Starting off in an apron adorned with a washing machine, she later transforms into a Chinese takeaway dish of noodles with chop-sticks adorning her wig.
Brendan glides across the stage and there are plenty of references for Strictly fans to enjoy, but there was an unexpected winner to the dance-off when much to Bobby Davro’s joy, Brendan dropped his cane and admitted defeat. The highlight for many must have been when Brendan had to retrieve ‘Five Toilet Rings’ from the audience, no less than three times, impressing the crowd with his acrobatics, then almost coming a cropper as he stood on the back of a seat to throw the prop back on stage.
The Chief of Police and his sleepy turtle ‘Willy’ was a crowd pleaser, especially popular amongst the younger members of the audience. The whole theatre were soon shouting at the top of their voices to ‘Wake Up Willy’ !
Bobby Davro entertained from start to finish, with some incredible singing about his three legged donkey at the beginning of the show, to having the entire audience up on their feet singing, shouting, screaming and bouncing to his song about his Australian kangaroo, complete with huge kangaroo outfit of course. It was all going swimmingly, until he fell over and had to be helped back on his feet by back stage staff. Cue more laughter.
This year’s panto is fabulous, you will laugh out loud at the cheesy jokes and numerous gags, but you will also be awestruck by the fabulous costumes, special effects and a live orchestra, with no shortage of audience participation.