Aladdin Gets a Leeds Twist in This Energetic Panto!
Flashy lights, ridiculously cute Christmas jumpers, ice creams and sweets — of course it’s that time of year again: panto time!
Set in Leeds, right in the heart of the bustling Kirkgate Market, Aladdin — or should I say a lad in Leeds — had me laughing so hard my cheeks actually hurt by the time I left City Varieties Music Hall.
Rob Salmon’s Aladdin: The Rock ’n’ Roll Panto is now in town!
Running from 28th November to 11th January, this take on Aladdin might genuinely be one of my favourites I’ve ever seen. I was hooked the moment the Storyteller (Damien James) walked on stage and started rhyming. And just when you think, “Oh, they’re doing a panto with an on-stage band — saxophones, trumpets, guitars — this is going to look great,” you suddenly realise they’re not just musicians, they’re actor-musicians. Every single character is doing something at every single moment. You’re not watching a panto anymore — it feels like a live concert that sweeps you up and makes you forget all your worries as you clap, laugh, dance, snap, shout, “Oh no you’re not!” and just have the best time. Peter Rowe’s writing hits all the right spots.
Throughout the show, the live-played soundtrack knocked it out of the park — Uptown Funk, Monkey Man, Abracadabra and Common People were absolute standouts. Each one was performed with so much energy and personality that I was grinning from ear to ear, humming on the way home.
Alvin, your charming everyday city lad played by Harry Brown, is helping out at his mother Dame Tallulah Tightbottom’s (Simon Nock) café-launderette, the Wash-n-Nosh in Kirkgate Market, when he has the cutest meet-cute with Princess Peachblossom (Laura Anderson Guimarães). She’s escaped from Harewood House to hide from her father, the Emperor (Dan Carter-Hope), who wants her to marry someone classy and rich — but of course she falls for our everyday Leeds boy instead.
Then there’s Tommy the Tyke, your classic funny guy, and honestly every exchange he has with the Dame is hilarious. They throw in so many cultural references — 6/7, Just Eat, Domino’s Woohoo, Jet2Holidays — and every single one lands. You know it’s going to be funny, but they still manage to surprise you each time.
Dame Tallulah Tightbottom — or, by the end of the night, as everyone lovingly calls her, Widow T — is hilarious, warm, flirtatious and just so much fun. She lights up the stage. Every line she delivers either has you clutching your stomach with laughter or sitting there thinking, “Oh my god, that was brilliant.” Her chemistry with the whole cast is incredible, but her scenes with the villainous Abanazer (Kenny Davies) were honestly mind-blowing. The way she comes up with a new version of his name every single time? I giggled every time.
Abanazer isn’t just your typical villain either — he’s a sorcerer on a mission to find a tea-light lamp he knows is somewhere in Leeds. He ropes Alvin and his accomplice Muddles (Maddy Hansen) into his plan. And of course, there’s the dazzling green Genie (Lucy Wells), whose singing absolutely deserves an extra round of applause. With Hans the Dishwasher, on-set musician Max Bower, our fabulously French-looking chef, and on-set Music Director Tom Benjamin, the whole panto just comes together beautifully.
A pantomime isn’t just a show — it’s a tradition. And this one is definitely something all generations can enjoy. It’s a panto that makes you forget your troubles, throws you straight into the festive mood, and reminds you why Christmas is such a magical time. And honestly, in a world full of iPads and video games, that’s not an easy thing to pull off.
My favourite part, apart from the panto itself, was being able to buy flashy lights, Aladdin keychains and lit-up bracelets and rings. Even though it’s meant for kids, I truly believe pantomimes are the one time you get to be the kid you still are at heart — and Aladdin at City Varieties Music Hall absolutely brings that kid out.
Click here to get your tickets!