If you’re looking for a night out that pleases children, grandparents, and everyone in between, Swansea Grand’s ALADDIN is exactly the sort of festive treat that earns its place in the annual calendar. We were there last night to review the show for South Wales Life, and it’s safe to say the theatre has done it again. The Swansea Grand have really pulled out all the stops once more with their family panto, delivering an evening that’s bright, generous, and cheerfully unashamed of what it’s there to do: make you laugh, make you sing along, and send you home in a better mood than you arrived.
From the moment the curtain goes up, the production feels lively and colourful, with a pace that doesn’t let the energy sag. This is a panto that understands rhythm. It knows when to let a joke land, when to nudge the audience for a response, and when to switch gears into something warmer. There’s plenty of sparkle, yes, but it’s the sense of fun running through everything that really sells it. The show is packed with great songs, and not just as filler between gags. Musical numbers are staged with real gusto, and they give the cast room to play with the audience, rather than simply sing at them.
A big part of the success, of course, comes down to the cast. JOE PASQUALE is exactly the kind of performer pantomime thrives on: quick, cheeky, and always ready to chase a laugh without pushing too hard. He has that rare ability to make the chaos look effortless, even when the script is firing jokes at the crowd every few seconds. It means the room stays engaged throughout, and you can feel the audience leaning forward, waiting for the next punchline or throwaway gag.
Alongside him, KEV JOHNS, a returning favourite many times over, brings the kind of local warmth that can’t be manufactured. There’s a real ease to his presence, as though he’s in on the joke with you before the scene even starts. He’s excellent at building a moment, stretching a reaction just long enough, then snapping it back into laughter. The chemistry between Joe and Kev is a huge asset. When they share the stage, the show kicks up another gear. The jokes come thick and fast, and with Joe and Kev on stage together it’s easy to see how hard it must be for the rest of the cast to keep a straight face. Such is their professionalism, though, that we’re often treated to the gags without the scenes collapsing into corpsing. You sense the performers enjoying themselves, but the show stays tight and in control.
Aladdin is a real ensemble with every member of the cast and team playing their part. Welsh performer CELYN CARTWRIGHT brings even more magic and sparkle to the stage as the Spirit of the Ring while Musical Theatre stars JG DANIELS-WHITE and FREYA HUMBERSTONE are everything you’d want a young couple to be as Aladdin and the feisty Princess Jasmine. And the boo-able baddie ANDREW FLEMING as the sneaky Sven Gali is not an excellent baddie but delivers some spot-on impressions too.
The all-singing all-dancing ensemble includes Nic Cain, Emma Dempsey, Sam Jamison, Tom Johnson, Natalie Twist and Zhanel Zhan and a cast of talented local youngsters bring the magical fairytale to life, supported by a first class band.
That balance matters, because while Aladdin is unquestionably funny, it also has heart. The story beats are delivered clearly, without overcomplicating things, and the production gives the sweeter moments space to breathe. It’s one of those pantos where you notice how the humour and the warmth feed each other. The silliness makes the sincere bits feel earned, and the sincere bits stop the silliness from becoming noisy for the sake of it. It’s proper family theatre: inclusive, upbeat, and kind.
Visually, Swansea Grand has gone for a modern look and it pays off. The set is technically stunning and genuinely impressive, the sort of thing that makes you sit up and take notice even if you’ve been to plenty of pantos before. There’s a sleekness to the design, but it never feels cold. Instead, it acts as a bold frame for the action, with lighting and effects that are used to heighten the atmosphere rather than distract from it. At times, it’s a real sight to behold, the kind of stage picture that reminds you why live theatre still has the power to surprise. There’s a confident use of scale and colour, and the transitions between locations keep the story moving without long pauses or awkward scene changes.
At times you genuinely feel you’re flying through the streets and oceans. They say it’s a ‘digital set’ but this is really something next level. It really comes into its own when we finally meet the genie. By now we’re sure the internet will be full of spoilers telling you who it is, for us last night however, it was a real surprise. There was a murmur around the audience as this home-grown, Hollywood star, with countless BAFTA’s to his credit, appeared from the lamp.
We’ve thought about telling you who it is but wanted to keep his name under wraps so as not to spoil the surprise, although we’re certain the internet will have spilled the beans by now. If you watch our interview with Kev and Joe you will get a brief glimpse of him if you watch carefully. We can say that his on-screen performance was funny, incredibly local and beautifully choreographed with the live action.
The costumes also deserve a nod. They match the production’s playful tone and help define characters quickly, which is essential in panto where clarity counts. The ensemble work is strong too. Group scenes have a lot of bounce, and the cast bring the louder moments together without it turning into visual clutter. Even when the jokes are flying, you can tell the staging is well rehearsed and carefully timed.
What makes this Aladdin stand out is that it doesn’t just rely on the usual panto ingredients, it uses them well. The crowd interaction is lively without feeling forced, the comedy is sharp without turning sour, and there’s enough spectacle to keep eyes wide even when you think you know what’s coming. It’s festive without being sugary, and it has that rare quality of feeling both polished and genuinely playful at the same time.
By the time the final scenes roll around, the audience in the Grand is exactly where a panto audience should be: fully onside, laughing readily, and cheering like they mean it. Whether you’re coming with little ones for their first theatre trip, bringing older kids who pretend they’re too cool for panto, or just going with friends because you fancy a hearty laugh, this production delivers.
Swansea Grand’s ALADDIN is bright, funny, and full of heart, with standout comic turns from Joe Pasquale and the ever-wonderful Kev Johns, plus a set that’s as impressive as it is enjoyable. In short: it’s a cracking night out, and a very safe bet for anyone trying to bottle a bit of Christmas cheer.
ALADDIN runs through to the 4th January with a variety of performance times and prices. The BSL interpreted show is on the 11th and 12th of December and the Relaxed performance on 13th December at 10am. For more details and tickets go HERE.
