Stars ham it up in rollicking tale of Aladdin And His Wonderous Lamp

Young fans are screaming for more as the curtain falls on this irreverent retelling of the adventures of Aladdin and his magical lamp.

The tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp has been told countless times but surely never like this. A cross-dressing Ian “Dicko” Dickson as Aladdin’s mum and The Footy Show’s Beau Ryan hamming it up to MC Hammer’s You Can’t Touch This in his role as the Genie are just a few of the eyebrow-raising changes to this classic tale. But as I told my kids, this is a panto, so anything goes.

At a little over two hours, I was worried the unlikely cast of Bonnie Lythgoe’s Aladdin and his Wondrous Lamp would struggle to hold the attention of the young audience. But they were screaming for more as the curtain fell a final time.

And that is part of the appeal of a good panto.

The Voice star Mat Verevis as Aladdin with Beau Ryan as the Genie.

Jessica Rowe as the Empress.

READ: Sunday’s a day to shine for the Kurban clan at Sydney production of Aladdin And His Wondrous Lamp

Introducing her show, Lythgoe asked her young viewers to boo when the baddie came on stage and cheer when something good happened. So, the clapping, cheering, hissing, stomping kids were like a schoolroom left without a teacher.

The cast features a slew of Aussie entertainers not known for their acting who were forced to who learned their parts in less than two weeks. The star-studded line-up includes Studio 10’s Jono Coleman and Jessica Rowe as the Emperor and Empress, High 5’s Lauren Brant as Princess Yasmina and The Voice star Mat Verevis as Aladdin.

High 5’s Lauren Brant as Princess Yasmina and The Voice star Mat Verevis as Aladdin.

But British comedian Kev Orkian steals the show as Aladdin’s brother Wishee Washee, a real favourite with young and old audiences. The cast bring the story to life with great enthusiasm, costuming and a hilarious script, which includes contemporary social satire for the benefit of the older viewers, such as mention of the Packer and Carey romantic match-up.

While a panto will never have the seamless flow of a classic musical production, there is no denying the anything-goes fun of an irreverent retelling such as this.

Aladdin And His Wondrous Lamp, State Theatre, Market St, City; until July 12; child $47, adult $68, premium $83, bonnielythgoe.com

Kev Orkian with Ian Dickson and Mat Verevis in Aladdin And His Wondrous Lamp.