Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without pantomime and this year I thought Boo was finally old enough to enjoy her first panto. We were invited to watch Aladdin at the Secombe Theatre in Sutton to see what we thought of Polka Dot Pantomime’s production.
First of all I feel completely ashamed that despite the Secombe Theatre being on my doorstep this was the first time I’d been, especially at a time when they and their sister theatre, the Charles Cryer are facing closure after funding be withdrawn by the London Borough of Sutton – anyway I’ll save that for another post all together.
It’s been a few years since I went to a pantomime myself but I still had a pretty good idea what to expect; the Aladdin production at the Secombe didn’t disappoint – in fact I’d forgotten just how much fun a panto is both for adults and children. Within minutes Boo was completely entranced, a real life example of why the suspension of disbelief is oh so magical. Both of us along with my Mum who had come too were joining in and shouting out with the classic ‘boos’ and ‘He’s behind you!’
The production itself was well presented with an enthusiastic and likeable cast, pretty good scenery with great references to pop culture, which worked really well at entertaining the wide age range of the audience – the lady behind us was 90!
Polka Dot Pantomime Productions is quickly proving to be one of the most popular pantomime production companies in the UK, having doubled the amount of productions played since 2011 across the whole of the country.
Were there any spectacular special effects? No. Did the cast feature a few (debatable) celebrities? No. But for me these are all good things; I’m glad that Boo’s first experience of pantomime was one that was authentic and focused on the essence of what panto is all about – well for me anyway; Polka Dot’s production of Aladdin at the Secombe Theatre made me laugh in a way I haven’t in a long long time: like a child, not caring how loud I was or how cheesy the joke was, only caring that I was having fun with my family. Now that’s something both me and Boo (not forgetting Grandma) can share at Christmas, long live panto!
Disclosure: We received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review, all opinions are 100% honest.
