A lively Christmas pantomime with lots of fun and good performances always leaves you with a nice feeling of euphoria and Malvern's got it just right.
Aladdin (thank heaven) is a girl in the time-honoured tradition of these things and although she doesn't slap her thigh, in the time-honoured way, Sarah Jane Buckley flies bravely on her magic carpet, swashes her buckle with Alan Fletcher's nicely menacing Abanazar (who the audience booed with great relish) and gets the princess in the end.
Good pantomime dames are thin on the ground these days. But James Biddlecombe's Widow Twanky is excellent in the way of great dames. He gets up to all the saucy tricks of his kind and had found the right dimension for the part, the inevitable laundry gags go off with a swing, Wishee Washee gets nicely flattened in the mangle and Twanky herself appears in some terrific costumes.
Andy Collins who plays Wishee Washee has a terrific sense of comedy and relates to the audience very well. When the children come up on stage for their turn and the inevitable bag of goodies, Mr Collins brought the house down coaxing a splendid reaction from a particular little girl of six with enough showbiz confidence for a child twice her age.
The sets are - well, colourful, which doesn't really matter because the talent on stage outshines the decor.
Two young men - one, just about still in his teens, appear to me to be well established on the career ladder. They are Craig Davidson and Greg Lowe. Look out for their names because one day I'm sure they will make it.
And a special last word for Uncle Peter and the tiny trio which supports the show so well from gag one until the walkdown. A good family treat I thought and value for money.
