Monday, 27 November 2023

It’s All about the Story-telling

Pre-panto interview in Fine Time Recorder

Saturday, 21 October 2023

Back in Bath

Thrilled to be back in Bath this Christmas – Full cast now announced for “Sleeping Beauty”.

The fabulous family pantomime at Theatre Royal Bath promises a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunning sets, top musical hits, fantastic costumes and exciting special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained! EastEnders’ and West End star Neil McDermottwill play Prince Vincent alongside Bath favourite Jon Monie as Lester the Jester, EastEnders’ Nick Wilton as Dame Nanny Nora, Hollyoaks’Sarah Jane Buckley as Fairy Snowfall and Maisie Sellwoodas Princess Rose.

Thursday, 15 December 2022

Review - Globalmouse Travels

The magic of panto is back with Aladdin at Theatre Royal Bath

It’s time to welcome panto back to Bath and the brilliant new production of Aladdin is bringing Christmas cheer to Theatre Royal Bath, complete with magic lamps, genies and a whole lot of laughs.

Starring Emmerdale’s Tom Lister as the evil Abanazar, this family favourite tale sees Aladdin go from rags to riches on a wondrous fun filled adventure, which features Bath favourites Jon Monie as Wishee Washee and Nick Wilton as Widow Twankey.

This is a hilarious and magical production for the whole family which will fill you with Christmas cheer. Alongside Wishee Washee and Widow Twankey’s hilarious routines this production is packed with songs and dance routines, great costumes and lots of audience participation.

The cast is filled with the talents of Alex Aram who is a fun and dynamic Aladdin, alongside Kaysha Nada as Princess Jasmine. Audiences will also love Maddison Tyson who plays the Genie brilliantly and brings a touch of magic to the proceedings.

We love that Theatre Royal Bath pantomime productions also give a chance for young stars to shine with dancers from Bath’s Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance bringing lots of energy to the stage.

This new production joins a long line of pantomimes which have been staged at Theatre Royal Bath, which date back over 200 years and once saw the 19^th century comic Joseph Grimaldi taking to the board and performing in Mother Goose. This year’s panto is also written by Wishee Washee star John Monie, who has appeared at the Theatre Royal over 1100 times with this marking his 20th season in Bath.

This is a brand-new telling of the classic story and in true pantomime tradition there’s plenty of comedy, slapstick and amazing effects which the whole family will love.

Tuesday, 13 December 2022

Review 8 - Fine Times Recorder

MANY years ago, we used to read theatre or opera reviews by the great critics of the day, who would ccompare the latest actors or shows to people long gone. And it used to drive us mad! Now, after decades of reviewing and reporting, we realise we risk doing it, so we try not to.

But while it would be a bit infuriating for some readers if we kept talking about stars of the past, what this long history of theatre and concert-going does do is give perspective. When we say a performer or play or show or performance is great, we are comparing (in our memories) so many things we have seen. How many Hamlets – and yet there is always room for another angst-ridden young Dane!

And so it is with pantomime – oh yes it is! (Sorry, that was so predictable!) We can look back to the late great Chris Harris or Jack Tripp and look at their successors, and congratulate ourselves that we have been lucky enough to see these legends in their heyday and now enjoy the dames and knockabouts and villains of today.

Bath is fortunate indeed in Jon Monie – rubber-faced, multi-talented, genuinely a very funny man who has become not only Bath’s own clever pantomime writer, but one of the country’s best. In his regular knockabout role, this time as the hapless Wishee Washee, he holds the whole audience, from toddlers to great-grandparents, in the palm of his hand! He knows just how to coax shy children to speak or even sing and he can fill in any awkward gap or lost cue.

Bath is also fortunate in Nick Wilton, a dame in the Jack Tripp tradition, sweet-natured and constantly surprised at the pitfalls and accidents that befall his family. You just want to hug him! Here he is in his element as one of the most endearing dames – Widow Twanky, always on the look out for love, and hopelessly trying to keep her adventurous son under control and her useless son employed!

The triumph of this year’s pantomime is completed by Tom Lister as one of the most handsome Abanazars ever, and he’s also VERY funny. His interactions with the audience are a lot more than mere boos. He is bad, very bad, very very BAAAD … and loving every minute.

This is a lively retelling of a familiar story, with a feisty Spirit of the Ring (Amy Perry) and an exuberant Genie (Maddison Tyson). Michael Chance makes a welcome return to Bath, this year as the Emperor, and Kaysha Nada makes her professional debut as his daughter, Princess Jasmine. Alex Aram is energetic and courageous as Aladdin.

Lots of good songs, plenty of opportunities to clap or even sing along, a change from the usual audience song routine before the wedding walk-down, spectacular costumes and lots and lots of laughs … whatever you want from pantomime you will find it at Bath Theatre Royal, where Aladdin runs to 8th January.

Photographs by Freya Turland

http://www.theftr.co.uk/aladdin-bath-theatre-royal/

Review 7 - The Bath Magazine

Words by Melissa Blease
Theatre Royal Bath until Sunday 8 January

In 1788, Irish actor John O’Keefe dramatised an ancient Middle Eastern folk tale, laden with allegories based around the abuse of power, the misuse of supernatural forces and the enduring effects of love, and adapted it for ‘modern’ audiences. And so it came to pass that, centuries later…

In recent decades, the fable’s popularity enjoyed a major resurgence, bolstered by the success of the spectacular 1992 Disney film version. Last year, Aladdin beat both Sleeping Beauty and Snow Whiteto top UK Theatre’s Nation’s Favourite Panto survey, joining Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk in the top three faves and further confirming the story’s iconic status – and it isn’t difficult to work out why: fast-paced, slightly surreal, exuberant, vibrant and funny, Aladdin, his magic lamp and a Genie offers multi-generational appeal.

But despite all the magic and sparkle that really, really good classic panto delivers (and to say that this year’s Theatre Royal Bath production has plenty of both would be an understatement), the script that the bonds the whole extravaganza together is the star of the show – and yet again, award-winning actor and writer Jon Monie (who celebrates his 20th Christmas show at Theatre Royal Bath this year) has delivered in spades, blending good old fashioned, proper pantomime tradition with enough of a contemporary spin to keep contemporary attention levels up throughout.

Monie stars in the show too, as Widow Twankee’s delightfully dim son Wishee Washee; the quick-fire repartee between son and mum (Nick Wilton, a very grand Dame indeed) is the gift that keeps on giving throughout the whole, superbly silly extravaganza.

Tom (Emmerdale) Lister brings lashings of dashingly handsome, suitably camp boo-hiss to his Abanazar, Kaysha Nada is a perfect Princess Jasmine, Amy Perry’s pragmatic Spirit of the Ringkeeps multiple flights of fancy grounded, Maddison Tyson is an utterly swoonsome Genie… and Alex Aram in the title role takes the whole audience with him on his rather complicated journey from zero to hero. But ultimately, this big jolly Christmas outing comes to us courtesy of one big energetic ensemble including a live orchestra in the pit and an all-age assortment of high-voltage Dorothy Coleborn School dancers, all bought together with lashings of good-natured good fun.

Not a fan of pantomime? Oh yes you are! If, that is, you allow Theatre Royal Bath’s annual festive feast to work its time-honoured magic.

Tickets available from theatreroyal.org.uk

Photography credit: Freia Turland

Monday, 12 December 2022

Review 6 - Wiltshire Times

Aladdin at Theatre Royal Bath is an absolute cracker

By John Baker

@JohnBakerNewsW1

HE’S one of the best pantomime baddies in the business and boy does he make the most of his villainry!

Tom Lister is back on stage at Bath’s Theatre Royal after a six-year gap playing the evil Abanazar in its festive panto Aladdin – and it’s an absolute cracker!

Boy does he make the most of his character, after winning Best Villain at the inaugural Great British Pantomime Awards in 2016 for his role as Captain Hook!

He’s mean, he’s evil, and he clearly relishes a role that combines a fair dollop of melodramatic nastiness with boo-ability and a series of magic tricks involving doves and budgies that don’t quite work out.

He is one of the stars of a show that somewhat surprisingly contained more than a fair share of adult jokes, innuendos and risqué humour than I was expecting but it was all done in the best possible taste.

One of the most popular pantomimes of all, Aladdin is the thrilling story of a boy from a poor background, a magic lamp and a genie that has kept audiences spellbound for generations.

Families visiting this Christmas can look forward to a fun-packed performance full of topical jokes, slapstick comedy, singing, dancing, a sprinkling of special effects, beautiful costumes and sets and plenty of audience participation.

This year’s script has once again been written by local favourite Jon Monie, from Holt - now in his 20th season at the Theatre Royal - who also plays Aladdin’s idiotic brother, Wishee Washee.

He positively cruises through the production like a swan, while providing the perfect foil to Nick Wilton, returning for his fifth season as pantomime Dame Widow Twankey in her high heels, colourful socks and outrageously extravagant gowns.

The three main characters are more than ably supported by Amy Perry as an enchanting Spirit of the Ring, and Maddison Tyson, who just about steals every scene he is in as a camp Genie of the Lamp.

The young lovers Alex Aram as the Widow’s son Aladdin, and Kaysha Nada as the delectable Princess Jasmine, possess the looks and good singing voices, while Michael Chance is a suitably stern Emperor whose main concern in life is money.

The ensemble of backing dancers/singers gave it their all, and the children from the Dorothy Coleborn School of Dance were absolutely charming.

The Bath pantomime is renowned for being a traditional, family-friendly show that depends on clever scripts and solid stage performances without having to rely on expensive high-tech lighting and sound wizardry and special effects.

This year is no different: the perennial bench and ghost sketch is still in, but there were one or two departures from previous years, including magic tricks at the end for the children invited on stage.

For the adults, there’s a very risqué but tastefully done scene involving Aladdin and Wishee Washee dressed up like the Marx Brothers playing piano keys without using their hands.

The script also contains some topical references to parties at No.10 Downing Street, a reference to a certain Royal docuseries on Netflix, a threat to banish one of the characters to Melksham, and one or two jokes at the expense of Bath parking and local residents.

Jon Monie’s script keeps to the panto tradition, while adding in some fresh material, and certainly kept Saturday’s matinee audience thoroughly entertained.

All in all, Aladdin contains just the right amount of festive fun, frolics and comedy to put you in the right spirit for Christmas.

Nick's Panto blog