“Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves” by Burton Joyce Players
Burton Joyce Village Hall

Written by Julie Petrucci and Chris Shinn, they have created a wonderful piece of family entertainment that completely raised the roof of the Burton Joyce Village Hall, confirming what great support this theatre group has.

This was everything that a family panto should be. It had comedy that was understood by the kids and the adults. It had audience participation, which did not need much urging as the crowd of mainly kids laughed, cheered and sang along with the great range of songs, a mix of old and new, pop favourites from through the years, songs from the musicals and action songs.Some clever parodies mixed in with the straight numbers.

The story was strong and the acting was great and everyone joined in with the boo-ing of the baddies and cheering of the good guys (and gals).A nice injection of social comment surrounding mobile phones and social media and interaction, along with Brexit and Trump mentions.

I loved the lighting (Ryan Alston-Holmes), at times making you feel like you were in a night club, making the whole show an exciting visual affair.

The sound (Colin Woolley) was also excellent with the sound effects actually sounding like what they should do.

Great sets, especially the cave where Mustafa Lot stored his hidden treasures and the Baghdad market place.

The choreography (Jennifer Reckless) was great fun for all.

Directed by Kathy Matthews, the pace of the show was well observed, helped by the large stage crew and manager (Roger Harwood).

In fact the whole team involved in this pantomime worked like a well oiled piece of machinery, making this a really great, fun piece of theatre.

A large cast of 26 made sure that there was always someone and something to look at, also ensuring that the ensemble pieces were well fleshed out and sounded great.The mix of age ranges also made this a lovely family orientated viewing.

There are some real shining lights in this cast, Victoria Jones (Ali Baba), Gavin Alston-Holmes (Dame Baba), David Matthews (Genie), Patrick McDonough (Mustafa Lot), Chris Mercer (Bin Dozy), Adam Miller (Bin Lazy) and Caitlin Evans (Princess Jasmine), but all the cast were so very good, they were all on a par.

It's one of the most fun local pantos I've seen this year, which was definitely echoed by the packed and very enthusiastic audience. I almost felt I'd been invited to a party. One for sure to warm the cold nights that are expected this week.

“Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves” is at Burton Joyce Village Hall until Saturday 26 January 2019. Don't miss out on this one!

Pictures by Gavin Mawditt