Aladdin At The Wolves Grand – Brilliant Fun!

Panto is back in Wolverhampton, and the Grand has got another enormous hit on its hand with the sparkly, sassy Aladdin. The classic story has been given a modern, Wolverhampton twist, and with a top notch cast, great songs, and some hilarious one liners, Aladdin is everything you want a panto to be, brilliant fun for all ages.

In the land of Shangri Far Aladdin lives with his mother, the washerwoman Widow Twanky, and his brother Wishy Washy. His heart is taken by the spirited, feisty Jasmine, but her father The Notary forbids the match, after all, Aladdin is a petty thief, and the Notary wants a far richer match for his daughter, When a ‘long lost relative’ tells Aladdin he has come into an inheritance that will make him rich, if he only helps to retrieve it, Aladdin agrees to the challenge, but Uncle Abanazar is not all that he seems, and Aladdin will need the help of his new friends The Genie and The Spirit of the ring if this story is to have a happy ending.

Aladdin is a dream panto with some pretty wonderful casting. Ben Cajee is perfect for Aladdin, energetic, acrobatic and with lots of personality. He is well matched by Sofie Anne as Jasmine, she is such a pleasing heroine as she matches Aladdin in terms of spirit and energy – this is no docile placid princess, but a heroine with fire in her belly and an impeccable singing voice that impresses. Michael Greco is superb as Abanazar, totally buying into the panto baddy rules with his sneering, evil laugh and wicked one liners. The magical roles are both lovely, Zoe Birkett sassy and wonderful as the Spirit of the ring with incredible vocals, and a cool Duane Gooden as the Genie providing one of the stand out moments when he belts out Aretha’s ‘Think’, asking Aladdin to grant his freedom.

Of course, panto is always about those funny moments, and Tam Ryan and Ian Adams once again showed why they are one of the best panto teams around in their roles as Wishy Washy and Widow Twanky. Both are absolutely hilarious, brilliant at both the one liners and off the cuff quips, and with Tam’s rapping and Ian’s outrageous costumes, you really see the beauty of panto at its best. A special mention must also be given to Ian Billings as The Notary, bringing in plenty of local jokes and flavour to the proceedings which the audience loved.

Aladdin is a joy from start to finish. Panto at its finest.

ALADDIN, a magical pantomime adventure until Saturday 7 January 2023 at grandtheatre.co.uk

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