Harriet White’s Aladdin and Harry Summers’ Abanazar in Malton and Norton Musical Theatre’s Aladdin – The Pantomime
ONCE upon a pantomime, the Malton show was synonymous with butcher Fred Bower as the juiciest of prime-cut dames, for 25 years, before passing away on New Year’s Eve in 2003.
Somehow, the market-town panto has escaped the diary of your reviewer since those Malton and Norton Operatic Society days.
Apologies for that aberration, one belatedly rectified by CharlesHutchPress’s acceptance of an invitation to attend Malton and Norton Musical Theatre’s Aladdin – The Pantomime, as he settled into seat F15 amid the flurry of raffle ticket sales.
It was Wednesday night, the halfway point of the week-long run, and by now the show was into its groove, assured, polished, equally filled with pun and fun, led by the towering dame, Rory Queen, as much a Malton panto institution as butcher Fred before him.
That’s not his character name, by the way. No, this possessor of a regal nomenclature is vamping it up as Widow Twankey after “20 years of glitter, chaos and questionable costume changes…still getting the same thrill guiding and watching our younger members dazzle the audience (while I try desperately to remember my lines and locate my dignity),” as he writes in his programme note.
Happy to report that Queen has still not found Dignity on his pantoland satnav – hurling loo rolls at all and sundry – and long may that continue as he parades the kind of physical comedy once the province of Tommy Cooper.
Queen is on co-director duty too, working alongside regular director Mark Boler, stalwart musical director Chris Hocking and Ryedale’s celebrated choreographer and dance tutor, Ali Kirkham, as they steer a cast ranging in age from eight to 85.
Here is a pantomime where one and all have their moment in the spotlight, not least the Chorus, Junior Chorus, Senior Dancers (led by Sophie Kemp in her third year as dance captain) and Junior Dancers (divided into Diamonds and Emeralds, and no doubt shining equally, whichever is performing at each show).
Fresh from her outstanding choreography for Pick Me Up Theatre’s glorious Christmas show, Anything Goes, so full of fun and fizz at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, now Ali Kirkham makes every ensemble number dazzle in cahoots with Hocking, her musical director for many years, assisted by Michaela Kemp’s choreography for the juniors.
Everyone dances with such delight in the likes of Dancing In The Street, We Are Family, Celebration and the climactic Walking On Sunshine. You will lose count of the number of cartwheels whirled across a stage often filled with more than 20 well-drilled performers.
Hocking, in his trademark flat cap at the keys, is joined by drummer Clark Howard and bass player Christian Topman, two musicians often out of sight but outstanding in their playing on the York circuit. All are on top form here.
Queen’s Widow Twankey, as full of chest as jest, pulls the strings, always mischievous, often mutinous, and fruity too, as Tom Whalley’s script prompts the gentleman in the next seat to express his disapproval of “too much smut” as we chatted in the interval.
Certainly, no opportunity for seaside postcard sauce is overlooked, but room aplenty is found for putdowns of neighbouring Pickering, salty asides on the town sheriffs, the Fitzwilliam Estate, and their suddenly disbanded food markets, and a topical reference to The Traitors. Best of all is the Emperor (a meta-thespian Thomas Jennings in his 11th Malton panto) attributing his sudden poverty to his newly acquired ownership of Greenland. Trump that, Donald J.
Three Summers come along at once in Malton, courtesy of Harry’s Summers of discontent as evil sorcerer Abanazar, Mark turning the Genie of the Lamp into the Genie of the Camp and son Alexander ironically losing his head as the Panda (his headgear falls off) when also playing the Executioner.
In her ninth Malton panto, A-level student Harriet White steps up to principal boy for the first time as Aladdin, singing impressively, especially Diamonds Are Forever, while revealing comic timing too in a traditionally straight panto role before she leaves the company with plans to work in journalism. The fourth estate’s gain will surely be theatre’s loss.
Among the young principals too are Isobel Davis in her first lead role at 15 as the headstrong Princess Jasmine; Amelia Little, 17, as a not-so-shy So-Shy ahead of playing Roxie Hart in Malton Sixth Form’s Chicago; trainee chef Tom Gleave as cheeky-chappy Wishee Washee and Annabelle Free as a gymnastic Spirit of the Ring.
Evie-Mae Dale, 17, and Jack Robinson, 16, are a riotous double-act as hapless, competitive coppers Sergeant Pong, keen to smell out every crime, and the unworldly PC World respectively.
Look out too for Malcolm Tonkiss’s cameo as Mangle Malcolm, as brief but as amusingly baffling as the Porter in Macbeth, and then add Shangri-La and Aladdin’s Cave set designer Sam Boler, scenic artist jo Claire, make-up artist Claire Smith, lighting designer Oliver Stables, sound engineer Alex Linney and the costume flamboyance of Molly Limpets Theatrical Emporium and Kirkham Henry to your rounds of applause.
Malton and Norton Musical Theatre in Aladdin – The Pantomime, Milton Rooms, Malton, January 22 and 23, 7.15pm; January 24, 1pm, 5.15pm. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
