In-genie-ous move by Aladdin director saves the show

Aladdin is on stage at the Waipawa Municipal Theatre from Saturday. Photo / Laben photography

I’s a director’s nightmare when, 72 hours from opening night, a vital cast member sustains an injury and cannot go on stage.

That’s the situation that Waipawa Musical and Dramatic Club faced this week. With their latest pantomime Aladdin already recast three times due to Covid interruptions, in the true spirit of showbiz director Madeleine Howard stepped up to fill the role of Aladdin.

Pantomime is a British theatrical institution that usually involves providing entertainment for children and is produced around Christmas time.

The plots are based on a fairy tales, and the shows feature music and slapstick comedy - often with gender roles reversed - themes of good and evil, crazy eccentric costumes, topical jokes and, above all, heaps of audience participation, which the shows thrive on.

The traditional fairy tale of Aladdin has been adapted for Hawke’s Bay audiences by Sir Roger Hall and features appropriate background scene projections ranging from the Nelly Jull Park rotunda in Waipawa to the Ryman Retirement village in Havelock North.

Waipawa’s duck is included. There are great characters - Tony Greig’s Widow Twankey, with her dirty laundry and hanky panky; her son Aladdin (Clare Smith), who has fallen in love with Princess Jasmine (Jemmalee Young); the evil Abanazer (Edward Carleton Holmes) scheming to steal the magic lamp; and Kate D’Ath’s glorious Genie.

The ensemble show is full of singing and dancing from tiny tots all the way up to teenagers, all in fabulous colourful costumes and choreographed by Samantha Kupa. It’s Raining Men, The Teddy-Bear’s Picnic and many other great singalong opportunities are there for the audience. Heckling is welcomed.

A five-piece orchestra conducted by Helen Walker underpins the pantomime and keeps it zipping along.

The crew at Waipawa Musical and Dramatic Club have produced another Christmas cracker in the form of their production of Aladdin, so gather all the family, jump on to the Eventfinda website and grab your ticket today.

Aladdin opens on Saturday, November 19 at the Waipawa Municipal Theatre with a seven-show run, including three matinees.