This is the day that Christmas truly arrives for me and quite a few other reviewers, as it is our version of the office party; an event when we can get together and, for those so blessed, let our hair down. It is a pantomime like no other, as it is aimed at the more mature theatregoers rather than the children. There were some young youngsters in evidence, but the audience was mainly old youngsters.
The formula differs slightly from the traditional pantomime in that the actors are also brilliant musicians doubling up as the band when not delivering dialogue. The music also comprises well known rock bangers, rather than melodies composed for the piece, so usually elicit clapping and singing along. We still have the Dame, the Hero, the Storyteller, the Villain, the Leading Lady, the Idiot and the unsuspecting audience member to make it reassuring. A further addition is the wearing of flashing rings, bangles and head dresses which adds to the atmosphere, as does the squirting of water from a gun during an obligatory chase round the auditorium – by the cast, not us.
Aladdin (Harry F Brown) and Princess Peachblossom (Laura Andresen Guimarães) get to know each other.
This year’s story, on which to hang the elements like Christmas tree baubles, is Aladdin, so a Genie is also added to the mix. It has been set in Leeds, for no other reason than to facilitate jokes about the city. Actually, the hero’s real name is Alvin, but he changes it to Aladdin to impress the heroine as well as to introduce the running gag of the evening by taking the surname Leeds, thus making him Aladdin Leeds – a lad in Leeds, geddit? He works in Kirkgate Market for his mother, Widow Tallulah Tightbottom, or Widow T to you and me, in her Wash’n’Nosh business, combining a laundry and café, as does Tommy the Tyke, a boy not gifted with too much intelligence, who makes the deliveries for her. The Leading Lady, Princess Peachblossom, has slipped out of her father’s country pile, Harewood House, and is meandering around the market when she meets Alvin – as he still is for a couple more minutes before going all pretentious. The two fall in love at first sight. I once fell in love at first sight, it didn’t last long as she looked again. The Princess returned home, as did I.
This is where the Villain, Abanazer, is introduced. He is in Kirkgate Market, not to get food, or even have a mobile phone unlocked, but he has heard about a magic lamp buried under the premises. He needs someone gullible enough to help him retrieve it and Aladdin seems just the boy.
Dan Carter-Hope as the Emperor and his daughter, Princess Peachblossom, played by Laura Andresen Guimarães.
Aladdin sneaks into Harewood House by offering to help with Tommy’s delivery there. He sees the Princess arguing with her father, the Emperor, who insists that she marry someone of royal breeding, causing our hero to pretend that he is a Prince. He does this with the help of his playful monkey, Muddles. They are all given short shrift and kicked out.
Guy Freeman as Tommy the Tyke. Tykeing it to the Limit (.com), except he does it with a Cornish accent!
Back at the market, Aladdin is tricked into going underground to search for the lamp, but finds himself trapped in a dark dungeon. I don’t think it was Brian’s Barbers, but I could be mistaken. He rubs it and – you guessed – the Genie of the Lamp appears. She grants him three wishes, the first of which is that he becomes a Prince.
Interval!!!
When we have taken our seats for the second half, after sponging off the ice cream drips from our jumpers, OK, that was just me, Aladdin has become rich and is running a sophisticated nightclub called Al’s Place. He now has everything he wants, being wealthy, admired and betrothed to Princess Peachblossom.
Laura Andresen Guimarães as Princess Peachblossom; Harry F Brown, Aladdin; Lucie Wells as Genie; Simon Nock, Widow T and Maddie Hansen, Muddles the Monkey rocking it up at the club.
The idyll is shattered when Abanazer reappears, having learned about the lamp’s discovery, to claim it for himself. Meanwhile, the Genie is enjoying her liberation from the lamp and having a rare old time, until Abanazer seizes it and takes her under his control. This puts Aladdin back where he started from, but Tommy, the Princess, Widow T and Muddles devise a plan to retrieve the lamp. Sure enough, the Genie breaks free from Abanazer’s grip and turns his wicked spells back on him.
Tony Benjamin: Gervase/Onstage MD; Damien James: Hans the Potwasher/The Storyteller; Max Bower: Hans the Dishwasher; Simon Nock: Widow T and Kenny Davies: Abanazer.
With everyone now in celebratory mood, Aladdin and Princess Peachblossom prepare for their wedding but she confides in him that she preferred the simple lad from Leeds to the powerful Prince, so they ask the Genie to revert them to Princess and Alvin.
Never mind all that stuff, it was time to get the band back together and finish up with a good old bop to Dancing in the Street, whilst being showered with confetti.
As you have probably gathered, I absolutely love this format, it has everything to get me in the festive mood, corny jokes, ice cream and rock music all shared with my colleagues (maybe not the ice cream).
Obviously, it would have been a disaster had the show not been executed to a very high standard which, yet again, it was. Simon Nock was on great form, being his usual cheeky self, firing off single-entendres like a machine gun. Harry F Brown – no mention of what the F stands for, but it’s his F in name so who cares – was every inch the lovelorn boy. Kenny Davies hammed up his villainous streak to perfection, loving every boo and hiss, whilst Guy Freeman was daft as a brush, if not quite as useful. Lucie Wells was a great green Genie rather than a Jean Genie and Laura Andresen Guimarães sang, danced and acted superbly. Maddie Hansen provided the slapstick with her monkeying about. In fact this was the best cast I have seen so far in the Rock’n’Roll Panto series, and I didn’t have a drink until after the show.
Not only was the comedy timing top notch, so was the musicianship. Because of the intimate nature of this iconic theatre and the way in which most of the dialogue, and all of the music, is aimed directly at the audience, it imparts a feeling like no other genre.
Aladdin is at Leeds City Varieties Music Hall until 11th January, 2026 and, if you like a good time, and are willing to regress a few years I highly recommend you get a ticket, but you had better be quick as most of the performances are already limited availability. Go to https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/the-rock-n-roll-pantomime-2025-26/ to book and scroll down to listen to samples of the music..
Photographs by Ant Robling
Tyke It To The Limit 