Eastbourne's Aladdin review: "Magic carpet? This show is simply a transport of delight!"

Tired of life? Depressed by the cold and dark? At Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre, your cares will soar away on Aladdin’s carpet of magic. Never, ever discount the power of theatre. It goes far beyond mere song and dance, and slapstick and painful puns. The world outside is pretty dark right now, cold and challenging, but the three hours immersed in a Devonshire Park glowing with warmth, humour and dazzling spectacle are not just escapism. They are a declaration: the light outshines the darkness.

Katherine Glover, returning for her fourth Devonshire Park panto, is excellent as ever. The principal boy label never does justice to Katherine, whose assured and radiant stage presence lifts her far above the thigh-slapping clichés. Indeed this whole production, while retaining lots of beloved features, hurls the clichés into the wings, and sets its own sparkling standards.

The first half glows with gleeful Christmas fun, audience rapport and banter, and ripples with lovely music and movement. Bright primary-colour sets and costumes banish the winter chill outside. The ensemble dancers – Amy Louise Carrie, Martin Harding, Charles Lowe-Riddle and Bethany Perry – set the bar high with eager energy. And good to see Deborah Lamb Theatre Arts juveniles back after last year’s Covid restrictions.

The comic tone is set by the incomparable duo of Tucker as Wishee Washee and Martyn Knight’s Widow Twankey. Tucker, master of timing and the instant ad lib, has the audience onside within minutes, while Martyn is stately as a galleon in a wardrobe of awesome costumes. The laundry-basket scene, with at least 88 excruciating puns (I didn’t count) is traditional panto at its finest. Smart support, too, from Adam Shorey as PC World – other retail-outlet puns are available.

Strong on tradition, director Chris Jordan always casts a lady in the lead, and Katherine Glover – now quite an Eastbourne veteran in her fourth production – is an assured and sparkling Aladdin who holds the stage. Opposite Katherine, a bit of inspired casting: Tiffany Tsang Ho Ching is a petite and utterly engaging Princess So-Shi with a fabulous voice and perfect blend of vulnerable and assertive.

Abanazar can be the nastiest of pantomime villains, but Miles Western gets the balance just right between scowls and ironic humour, and will give your children no nightmares. Rebecca Lisewski is a warm, engaging Genie of the Ring, while Leonardo Vieira astonishes as a Latin-American incarnation of Genie of the Lamp

But if Tuesday’s audience took their interval refreshments feeling well-humoured and genially entertained, they were unprepared for what followed. Act Two brings wondrous effects, fantastic stagecraft including a principal cut in half in a magician’s box – and a spectacle that literally takes your breath away: the Magic Carpet sweeps out across an auditorium full of gasps and dropping jaws. Technical brilliance, artistic brilliance and sensual brilliance. How on earth did they do that? The production values are worthy of huge-budget West End shows. Forget that stressful rail trip to London: you have five-star excellence here on your doorstep.

The creative team, unsung heroes as ever, are led by choreographer Emma Woods; MD Carl Greenwood; Shelley Claridge and her awesome wardrobe; Ryan Tate’s dazzling lighting; and production manager Jason Willie. Magic carpet? This show is simply a transport of delight.