Review: Aladdin at Lyceum Theatre

“…bursting with delightful festive magic…”

Aladdin by Paul Hendy, Lyceum Theatre Sheffield

By Sophie Dodworth

Sheffield is warming up to Christmas and, as usual, the folk of the land of steel are planning their yearly trip to see their favourite dame, Damian Williams and his merry team deck halls and stage at the Sheffield Lyceum.

As usual for the Sheffield famous pantomime, the crowd is raring to go, in fine spirits and ready to be entertained solidly. Musical Director James Harrison gets everyone in the mood, as per usual, with his unmatched energy and enthusiasm! He starts the auditorium warming up with ‘All I Want for Christmas’. Never have you seen a musical director quite like Harrison before. He always ends up on the stage at some point, and his acting skills are as good as the rest. Many in the audience can be heard celebrating the fact he is back again for another year.

This year Evolution Productions’ and Sheffield Theatres’ take on Aladdin stays true to the tale in firm panto style with the story of Aladdin (played by Sario Solomon). Hoping to win the girl of his dreams, Princess Jasmine (Lauren Chia). Aladdin stumbles upon a magical lamp which contains a genie (Elliot Broadfoot) and with his help manages to win the heart of Jasmine. However, the evil forces at play do not make the ride an easy one…

Two celebrities don the stage, the first in the shape of Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton. Clifton plays the evil Ivan Tochacha, generating a round of boos whenever he enters the stage, in true villain panto style. While some of the vocals were a bit of a struggle for Clifton, his dancing is so mesmerising to watch and the sequence where we get to see some of his wonderful jive moves is rather spectacular. Evie Pickerill plays Spirit of the Ring and many of the young audience were excited to see her, with her being very well-known to them during her years (and still going) on CBeebies. She played consistently well throughout and sang ‘Defying Gravity’ beautifully.

The ensemble are a really strong part of this production, with some of the dancing perfectly executed, with flawless moves not going unnoticed. Charlotte Ross Gower and Eleanor Rose Jackson stand out with their stage presence and charisma. As always, Damian Williams delivered the comedy and got the most laughs. It wouldn’t be the Sheffield pantomime without him, although this year it felt like we didn’t see enough of him.

The set, as always, was a highlight and sets the bar high for pantomimes, with no expense spared and glitter, sparkle and twinkles in all the right places. The wonderfully crafted elephants on stage were so finely detailed and moved so well, that the kids were left wondering if they were actually real. The visuals of this show were complemented by the costumes, which are always on point – loud and extravagant (as they should be), especially for Dame Dolly (Williams). Williams potentially had one of his ultimate dame costumes: a bikini, with a Madonna style cone bra and his stomach bare and out – this really caused some raucous laughter.

A sparkling celebration of Christmas cheer, bursting with delightful festive magic and a joyous treat for the whole family.

Aladdin plays at Lyceum Theatre until Sunday 04 January 2026. Tickets are available here.

Sophie Dodworth is an experienced theatre reviewer. Prior to joining NAR she has written reviews for multiple review sites including The Reviews Hub, and sees reviewing as a lovely break from being a busy mum. Sophie has herself tread the boards, working full time as a professional singer many years ago and more recently in amateur productions.