Aladdin Jr
Fairly Fizzling Fantasy
Aladdin Jr
Dramacube Productions at Hampton Hill Theatre until 1st April
Review by Didie Bucknall
It is good to see that the performing arts are thriving in the Richmond area with so many young people being involved in singing acting and dancing. Dramacube Productions provides students aged 7-16 years with an opportunity to perform in full scale musical theatre shows around the borough.
Eight performances of Aladdin Jr were given over three days involving five teams, two from Hampton Hill and three from Twickenham. Each team comprising 18 to 24 young people. The amount of organisation and rehearsal involved to achieve this is mind boggling.
It would be invidious to single out any individual performers because the reviewer was not present for seven of the performances, but on Saturday night the stage fairly fizzled with energy, cheered on by an appreciative audience comprising chiefly of friends and families. There were plenty of laughs, some intentional and some unintentional.
Sometimes lines were delivered a bit fast to be heard in the auditorium and sometimes the recorded music drowned out the singing, but the pace was good and characterisation largely well sustained. The principal actors were good and sang and danced with great stage presence.
The cast enjoyed themselves and this enjoyment reached out to the audience. Obviously some shone more than others but taking part in productions helps young people to develop social skills and grow in confidence which will be of use to them in their adult lives.
We wish them well in their future productions.
Didie Bucknall
March 2019
Mark Aspen 