Review 1 - Bath & Wiltshire Parent

Review: Aladdin at the Theatre Royal Bath, including the king of baddies

10th December 2022

Great news! The bestest baddie is in town and while his magic is tragic and his dancing pretty ropey too, he’s an absolute cracker and the star of the show. 

Who is this evil one? Well horrible old Abanazar, of course, the king of naughty in the Theatre Royal Bath‘s festive production of Aladdin, and what a treat he is. Played with absolute glee by Tom Lister (of Emmerdale fame), it’s no surprise that Tom won Best Villain in the Great British Panto Awards in 2016.

And what’s even better, the rest of the cast are pretty good too, with Bath favourite Jon Monie acting as both scriptwriter and Wishee Washee, Nick Wilton back in high heels and grand gowns as the dame Widow Twankey, and Amy Perry as The Spirit of the Ring.

Nick Wilton as Widow Twankey and Tom Lister as Abanazar (Photo Freia Turland)

The result is an old school, traditional panto with loads of fun, lots of silliness and surprisingly large amount of naughty humour too. And yes, the old favourites are included, including the ghosts and the bench sketch, singalongs, a fair bit of audience participation and lots of ‘oh no he isn’t’ all for good measure. All in all, a perfect family festive treat.

So you know the plot – Aladdin falls in love with Princess Jasmine and in an attempt to get enough wealth to marry her, ends up the possessing the magical lamp – genie and all – despite the evil-doings of Aba-banana. Along the way, of course, there is magic, romance, lots of singing and plenty of jokes.

Of course the ghost sketch is back… 

One of the best parts about this production is that all of the parts are beautifully played, including the ensemble. Alex Aram and Kaysha Nada are superb as the young lovers Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, while Maddison Tyson is charming as the Genie of the Lamp. Special note must also go to the children of the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance who are outstanding in the ensemble.

Now, of course, every panto has a few risque jokes which generally fly above the kids’ heads while mum and dad enjoy a little snigger. For this production of Aladdin, however, there seemed to be significantly more than usual, including an unforgettable, and admittedly very funny scene, where Aladdin and his brother play a piano duet without the use of their hands as only naughty brothers could.

Was it too much? Absolutely not – as someone once said, it was all done in the best possible taste, with everyone seeming to enjoy the fun. Add in a fair few jokes at the expense of local residents – including a threat to banish one of a character to Melksham – parties in Downing Street and even a reference to a certain Royal related Netflix series, and it all added up to a good old night of jokes bad and good, and all the better for it.

There’s something charming about the Theatre Royal Bath panto. This is generally due to less of a reliance on super hi-tech special effects and the biggest stars around, and more about great performances and clever scripts. Aladdin keeps up the tradition in fine form – top notch panto fun and the just the thing to get you in the Christmas spirit. 

Aladdin at the Theatre Royal Bath runs until 8 January 2023. For more details and to book tickets, go to www.theatreroyal.org.uk

https://thebathandwiltshireparent.co.uk/2022/12/review-aladdin-at-the-theatre-royal-bath-including-the-king-of-baddies/

StageTalk Interview

As Wishee’s mum Widow Twankey, Nick Wilton says: “She’s such a great character. She’s a real man-chaser and very naughty.” The man best known as Market Inspector Mr Lister on EastEnders since 2008 is also hailed as one of the best pantomime dames in the business and last played Widow Twankey in a 2016 production of Aladdin at the Theatre Royal. “This is a different take because Jon Monie always writes a great script,” Nick adds. “It also means I get a lot more schtick from my on-stage son. I’m definitely the butt of all his jokes.”

 Wilton’s roster of dames also includes Polly La Plonk in Beauty and the Beast, Dolly in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Dame Trott in Jack and the Beanstalk. “I started out doing sketch shows on TV, which don’t exist anymore, and pantos encompassed a lot of what I was already doing – like character work, sketches and routines,” he says of why he’s drawn to the genre. “I also love that cheeky relationship with the audience.”

Does he get to sing in the show? “Unfortunately for the audience, yes, but they’re character songs. And again, Jon has written some fantastic lyrics. I also love the fact that as always in Bath it’s very much a theatre panto rather than one of the big glitzy ones full of star names. It’s traditional and very story-led, and there’s always a wonderful and warm atmosphere at the Theatre Royal.”

https://stagetalkmagazine.com/p/27574

Fine Times Recorder

A MAGIC CARPET RIDE TO CHOCOLATE BOX HEAVEN

Nick Wilton had no interest in pantomime until he saw the late Chris Harris as the Dame in Dick Whittington at Plymouth Theatre Royal in 1987.

Nick’s first experience of panto had been when he was 12  watching his sister dance in their local hall, and he felt no connection to the show. But at the age of 30, when he was doing children’s television, he found himself in Plymouth working with Chris, Bernard Cribbins and other great performers, creating new routines and bringing the age-old story to life. He “realised that pantomime was something quite magical.” 

It seems fitting that Nick has now established a great rapport with Jon Monie at Bath Theatre Royal, where Chris was the much-loved and admired Dame for so many years, regularly teamed with the rubber-faced comedian in one of the great panto partnerships.

Soon after the death of Chris Harris, who was one of the greatest dames of all time, as well as a supremely knowledgeable panto historian, Nick came to Bath to play the dame. He and Jon hit it off and went on to make pantomime magic for the next four years. A Covid-enforced break and last year’s Cinderella (with no dame) meant that Nick missed two years at Bath, but it is good news for local fans that they are back together again this year in Jon’s new version of Aladdin, running from 8th December to 8th January.

Nick is a touching and lovable Dame, (Widow Twankey this year), cuddly and sweet-natured, but with a nicely acerbic edge, while Jon is the archetypal “village idiot” style knockabout comic (Wishee Washee in Aladdin).

The trio of leads in Aladdin is completed with the arch-villain, the wizard Abanazar, played by Tom Lister, a long-time star of television’s Emmerdale, with a wide-ranging list of stage plays and musicals to his name. His early acting career included a leading role in the powerful drama, The Accrington Pals, in Leeds. He was spotted by the Emmerdale producers and auditioned successfully for the role of Carl King, a part he played for nearly 10 years, ending with a dramatic death in an episode that was broadcast live.

More recently, Tom had the leading role for two years in an acclaimed production of 42nd Street at Drury Lane, which was screened at theatres and arts centres around the country.

He always dreamed of having a major role in the West End and 42nd Street saw his dream come true – performing on London’s biggest stage, with a huge cast, orchestra and back stage crew. “I really had to pinch myself,” he recalls.

In pantomime, you take off the shackles, he says, “and have the best time of your life. You can be as camp as a row of tents and enjoy every moment.” It is “one of the most rewarding things you can do on stage.”

In preparation for his role as Abanazar – one of pantomime’s most glamorous villains – he has been chatting to members of the Magic Circle and is really looking forward to Christmas in Bath, which he calls “chocolate box heaven.”

Jon Monie, who lives in Wiltshire and has been a star of Bath pantomime since 1996, has established himself as a successful and in-demand pantomime writer. As well as a one-off Little Mermaid for Butlins, he has written four pantos, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Peter Pan and this year’s Aladdin. All are in production this year, with Aladdin also at Sunderland and Aylesbury. He has tweaked the familiar Arabian Nights story – the Bath audience doesn’t want radical reworkings: They want a good traditional story-led family panto.” So we can expect the Spirit of the Ring, the Genie of the Lamp and a magic carpet. But he has made some subtle changes – Princess Jasmine, played by panto debutante Kaysha Nada, will be more feisty and have more to do than the usual rather shallow love interest for Aladdin (Alex Aram, in his first full professional panto). There is no PC Pong, but the Emperor (Michael Chance, returning after Baron Hardup in last year’s Cinderella) has a much-expanded role.

Predictably, pantomime is Jon’s busiest time. The rest of the year, (when he isn’t writing a new Christmas show) he is, he says, “a jobbing actor, a bit hand-to-mouth,” picking up work here and there. This year that has included a “very small” part in a period drama being filmed in Bath (no spoilers – we don’t know which!)

But now, for Jon, Nick, Tom, Kaysha, Alex and Michael, it’s full on for the pantomime – oh yes it is!

Photographs by Freia Turland

Back in Bath this Christmas

Yes! Returning for my 5th Christmas at

The Theatre Royal, Bath -

my 23rd season playing Dame. 

Jon Monie has written another fantastic show and I’m really looking forward to working with him again, together with the wonderful Tom Lister playing Abanazar (who I worked with at The Blackpool Grand in 2019 on Jon’s online “lockdown” panto, Pantomonium), and Michael Chance as The Emperor (we last did panto together in Sleeping Beauty in Basingstoke in 2010). 

Christmas 2022

 

Now booked for my 23rd consecutive year playing Dame.

More news once full casting has been announced.

Panto Promo

Review 3 - Basingstoke Gazette

Dazzling family fun-filled festive production of Beauty and The Beast impresses at The Anvil

By Jemma Cullum19th December

IT HAS been a hard time for theatres during the Covid pandemic, so I was delighted to be invited along to The Anvil to see this year’s Beauty and The Beast pantomime.

I was blown away by how beautiful the theatre in Basingstoke is. I was impressed with the foyer, which had a Christmas tree, bar and souvenir shop designed to look just like the Beasts castle.

Apart from having to wear a face-covering throughout the performance, it seemed all very normal. This was especially nice after the past couple of years and It was a joy to see the residents of Basingstoke come together to get into the festive spirit.

The production tells the story of a Prince, who is cursed to spend his days as a monster until he regains his humanity by winning a woman’s love.

The show filled me with joy from start to finish and I loved watching the fantastic duo of Polly La Plonk (played by Nick Wilton) and her son Louis (played by Chris Pizzey) who gave a hilarious performance, leaving the audience in stitches.

Meanwhile, Belle (played by Maria Coyne­) had the voice of an angel as she impressed with her vocals. She captivated the audience with her stage presence from start to finish.

Joe McFadden put on an outstanding performance taking on the role of the Beast, before transforming into the Prince.

He played a convincing Beast and had a powerful stage presence and impressive vocals.

A memorable part of the show was his transformation into the Prince as the audience clapped and cheered along.

The pantomime was packed full of jokes and innuendos for adults to enjoy and even incorporated popular songs including Ed Sheeran’s Shivers.

I have to also mention the ghost scene in the haunted castle, which had children in the audience screaming “it is behind you” and “oh yes it is” as Polly La Plonk, Louis and Belle encountered a ghost.

This magical story sees Belle agreeing to stay with the Beast in return for her father, who is being held captive by the Beast. The audience watches with amazement as they fall in love and become a match made in heaven.

In a brilliant transformation scene, the Beast returns to being the Prince and the pantomime ends happily ever after.

The show is a dazzling family fun-filled festive production that is not to be missed.