Panto review: Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits
I was rolling on the ground like a dog in the mud, I felt engaged and part of this amazing pantomime, Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits, this story made me crack more than an egg hit on a hard metal pan! Ali Baba and the Bongo Bandits was an amazing panto original made by Craig Hawes; this panto was about Ali Baba and the princess trying to find the royal ruby which had been stolen by the evil grand vizier and the horrible group of bongo bandits!
The timing for the songs for this panto was outstanding! Especially when Bongo (the leader of the bandits,) made the plan to raid the royal palace and steal some bags full of treasure, soon the bongo bandit song played, signalizing something ruthless and horrid was about to happen! The acting was stunning I could see every movement and could easily tell if one was panicked, exited, angry etc, this made the panto interesting and engaging! The audience was always a part of the panto, such as being able to shout out words written on signs popping out from behind stage, and having confetti thrown on people, and it makes everyone laugh and make the panto even more entertaining!
One of the greatest things about this panto was the costumes and props for this panto were stunning and made each character stand out and add to the personality, atmosphere and overall vibe of the panto, though some props were not as sturdy and a bit flexible, like the spears used by the guards the props still looked amazing! The backstage staff had amazing teamwork and were able to swap out different sets concomitantly! And managed to help all the cast members walk (or run,) on stage at the right time this was amazing and helped the cast make less mistakes! All the cast/pupils were amazing and sounded so confident while delivering their lines this helped the audience understand better, when the pupils are confident, they are louder, bolder and clearer, which is much better for the audience than mumbling or stuttered lines which I heard none of throughout this panto everyone seemed so confident and amazing!
One thing I think the cast should improve is sometimes not speaking over laughter because when someone does something utterly hilarious in a panto everyone bursts out into laughter, and some people continue talking while the audience is laughing this cast was great at it but i still think that is one thing that could be improved!
My overall opinion of this panto, it was amazing, jaw dropping better than outstanding, this panto was so dynamic and had great background sets and story line, 100% would recommend 10/10 one of the best pantos i have ever seen.
