• Home
  • Cocktails
  • Culture
    • Dance
    • Opera
    • Theatre
    • Outdoor
    • London Life
      • Foodie London
      • Visiting London – Five Must Do Sights
      • Visiting London – London Travel Tips
    • Balcony Gardening
  • Featured
    • Books
    • Home Delivery
    • Recipe Kits
    • Giveaways
  • Recipes
    • Meat
    • Soups
    • Lunch
    • Starters
    • Mains
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Cakes and Sweets
    • 5:2 Diet Recipes
    • Fish and Shellfish
    • Meat
    • Poultry
    • Vegetarian
  • Restaurants
    • Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia
    • Bermondsey, Borough and London Bridge
    • Chelsea
    • Camden
    • City of London
    • Clerkenwell
    • Covent Garden
    • Docklands
    • East London
    • Kings Cross
    • Knightsbridge
    • Kings Cross
    • Kensington
    • Marylebone
    • Mayfair
    • Oxford Circus
    • Oxford Circus
    • Paddington
    • St James
    • Soho
    • South Bank
    • South London
    • The Strand and Embankment
    • North London
    • Victoria and Pimlico
    • West London
    • Out of London
    • Miscellaneous
  • Travel UK
  • Travel Europe
    • Belgium
    • Croatia
    • Czech Republic
    • First Visit
      • Bulgaria
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Slovenia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Italy
      • Sicily
    • Ireland
    • Portugal
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Travel Other
    • Caribbean Travel
      • Antigua
      • Barbados
      • Grenada
      • St Lucia
    • Ecuador
    • Egypt
    • India
    • Qatar
    • Mexico
    • Oman
    • Rodrigues and Mauritius
    • Sri Lanka
    • USA

London Unattached - Luxury Mid-Life London Lifestyle

Luxury London Lifestyle for mid-life Metropolitans - food, travel, restaurant reviews - London Unattached

You are here: Home / Events / Aladdin at the Hackney Empire – Review

Aladdin at the Hackney Empire – Review

December 10, 2018 by Lucy Foxell Leave a Comment

Tweet
Pin
Share
Flip
Share

Last Updated on December 10, 2018 by Fiona Maclean

Pantomime in East London – Aladdin:

Love it or hate it, pantomime season is well and truly upon us….

Panto is a quintessentially British institution, but it was in fact developed from the Italian street theatre of the commedia dell’arte in the 16th Century. Here in Britain, we have made it a very Christmassy tradition – I remember only too well going dressed up in my best frock for our annual seasonal family outing with my grandmother to Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre to see their Christmas show.

Aladdin - Hackney Empire - 23rd November 2018Director - Susie McKennaDesigner - Lotte CollettLighting Designer - David HoweWidow Twanky - Clive RoweThe Empress - Tameka EmpsonAladdin - Gemma SuttonPrincess Ling Mai - Julie YammaneeGenie of the LPantomime hasn’t changed an awful lot; usually adapted from a fairy tale it includes stock characters and uses lots of physicality, plenty of jokes and some song and dance. It remains unapologetically brash, loud, sometimes smutty, very silly and full of innuendo. Generally, I would put myself in the ‘hate’ category, after seeing too many thoroughly mediocre productions over the years. However, after a recent night out in London’s East End at the glorious Hackney Empire (whose pantomime is now in its 20th year – they really know how to do ‘panto’ in style) I could well be changing my tune.

Aladdin - Hackney Empire - 23rd November 2018Director - Susie McKennaDesigner - Lotte CollettLighting Designer - David HoweWidow Twanky - Clive RoweThe Empress - Tameka EmpsonAladdin - Gemma SuttonPrincess Ling Mai - Julie YammaneeGenie of the LAladdin is written and directed by the well-seasoned queen of pantomime Susie Mckenna, who has assembled the dream team. Oliver Award-winning Clive Rowe, as Dame Widow Twankey, has a ubiquitous presence and a rollicking bluesy voice which completely brings the house down (this is his 12th season!). Rowe wears some splendid, no-holds-barred costumes, including a giant teapot – and his propensity for charm can’t help but bring a smile to every face in the auditorium. He is superbly well-matched with the fabulous Tameka Empson – of EastEnders and ‘Strictly’ fame – who plays The Empress of Ha-Ka-Ney, who is trying to marry off her feisty daughter, Princess Ling-Mai (Julie Yammanee), to a wealthy suitor. Empson has bucket loads of wit and personality and whipped up the audience no end. The dream team are backed up by a strong cast who build the good vibrations.

Aladdin at the Hackney EmpireThis retelling of the age-old Aladdin fable has an undoubtedly creaky plot, with a slightly spooky giant monkey puppet in the form of Gaia, Goddess of Light taking the role of narrator – and singing beautifully, courtesy of Sharon D. Clarke. But that aside, this family-friendly show ticks all the rights boxes, with some amusing audience participation; it’s fully abreast of pop culture and social media, and plenty of current jokes plus a few political ones thrown in for good measure, including topical references to Windrush and Brexit. Here it’s the decision to leave the ‘Eastern Union’ which has bankrupted the Far East End province, and a ‘Wanted’ poster for Jacob Peas Bogg, AKA our villain Abanaza (played by Tony Timberlake).

Aladdin - Hackney Empire - 23rd November 2018Director - Susie McKennaDesigner - Lotte CollettLighting Designer - David HoweWidow Twanky - Clive RoweThe Empress - Tameka EmpsonAladdin - Gemma SuttonPrincess Ling Mai - Julie YammaneeGenie of the LIn line with panto tradition, Aladdin is gender-swapped, played by a suitably upbeat, ponytailed Gemma Sutton. Alim Jayda makes a spritely Dishi (Aladdin’s brother), Kat B makes for a dramatic, rather cool flying genie, and Natasha Lewis a promising Genie of the Ring.

Aladdin - Hackney Empire - 23rd November 2018Director - Susie McKennaDesigner - Lotte CollettLighting Designer - David HoweWidow Twanky - Clive RoweThe Empress - Tameka EmpsonAladdin - Gemma SuttonPrincess Ling Mai - Julie YammaneeGenie of the L
Amongst the larger-than-life-sized puppets, particularly impressive is the giant flying dragon, and some talented stage school kids also grace the stage as a troupe of toe-tapping pandas.

Lotte Collett’s sets are a kaleidoscope of colour and wonderful sweeping backdrops. Richard Roe’s choreography is fun and vibrant, whilst musical director Mark Dickman’s fabulous band and Steven Edis’s music keep the non-stop party feel going with great sing-alongs including Queen’s classic ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ and Abba’s ‘Fernando’.

Aladdin - Hackney Empire - 23rd November 2018Director - Susie McKennaDesigner - Lotte CollettLighting Designer - David HoweWidow Twanky - Clive RoweThe Empress - Tameka EmpsonAladdin - Gemma SuttonPrincess Ling Mai - Julie YammaneeGenie of the LThis is one happy fracas, a bawdy riot, a full-on Christmas party and panto at its best, which has set me up for a very jolly Christmas – and all thanks to the Hackney Empire!

Aladdin runs until 6th January 2019

Hackney Empire
291 Mare Street
London
E8 1EJ

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Christmas 2018, London theatre, theatre

About Lucy Foxell

Lucy comes from a background in the Theatre. She loves to soak up the wealth of live theatre and cultural activities London offers. She's passionate about photography and an enthusiastic and fervent traveller, keen to explore as much of the world as possible. A ‘bon vivant’, she's always up for a party and at her happiest with a glass of champagne in hand

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Us

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

About London-Unattached

  • About Fiona Maclean
    • Writing for Other Publications
  • Enquiries/PR
  • Links to Other Sites
  • London Unattached Contributors
  • London Unattached Privacy Policy
  • Media Pack
  • Newsletter
  • Travel Bloggers Influencer Network

Recently Published

  • Get in a stew with British shellfish
  • God Save the Gin!
  • Borough Market Edible Histories
Looking for more recipes? Check out my new site, The Frugal Flexitarian, for easy, cost effective recipes to enjoy at home.
Find My 5:2 Diet Recipes quickly and easily

London Unattached Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter here. We promise not to spam - and you can unsubscribe at any time

Search London Unattached


Find Us

blogl
VuelioTop10Badge2020

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in