Kings Theatre Portsmouth – until 31 December 2025
Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock
4****
Pompey Panto presents ‘Aladdin’ for their Christmas entertainment extravaganza of 2025, and it is certainly a must see.
Shaun Williamson and Rustie Lee join the seasoned Jack Edwards for this performance and there are certainly some surprises in store. Following the traditional plot of the Disney classic, we follow Aladdin through his journey to wed Princess Jasmine, but he gets tricked by the mysterious Aba’Barry’Nazer (Shaun Williamson), giving away his lamp and most importantly his genie (Rustie Lee). Widow Twanky and Wishee Washee (Jack Edwards and Joe Pollard) hilariously accompany this journey, with their delightful pantomime classic pantomime antics. Accompanied by Esme Bowdler as the Spirit in the Ring, this is a great show. With a chorus of dancers and younger members, this is a feast for the eyes. Every member of the company were superb, however there is always one member of the chorus stands out-and for us it was Bobby Watkins. He was engaging and really expressed his passion and talents.
The interval posed much excitement from the audience, as there was talk of toilet paper buzzing around the room. As a first time viewer of a Pompey Panto, this was confusing for me, but it all became clear in the ‘12 Days of Christmas’-I was totally blindsided and found myself feeling faint from how much I was laughing! It was bliss to hear the excitement of the children in the audience as the perfectly choreographed scene began. Also, the ‘Ghost’ song had me again, crying with laughter-it was a joy to behold.
This is a stellar piece of theatre, one I will be talking about to everyone I meet and I am excited to see what 2026 brings for Pompey Panto!!!