Aladdie: The Gaiety risks its crown on a chaotic Ayrshire adventure

Following a historic industry win for ‘Mother Goose’, the Ayr theatre returns with a localized spin on Aladdin that promises less Arabian Nights and more Ayrshire Days.TheQR decided to put a few questions to Ciara Flynn & Lewis Kerr aka Alassie and Aladdie…

“Widow Twankey IS the one forgetting the dance routines and words to songs,” Ciara Flynn says, setting the record straight on who causes the most chaos in the rehearsal room. “Fraser [Boyle] will laugh when he sees this LOL.”

It is a bold strategy to call out the writer of the show, but confidence is high at The Gaiety. The Ayr venue is currently riding a wave of industry acclaim that few provincial theatres manage to catch. Their 2024 production, Mother Goose, didn’t just entertain the locals; it secured the inaugural Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) Award for Outstanding Pantomime.

That victory has placed a distinct marker on the venue’s 2025 offering: Aladdie. Written again by Fraser Boyle and directed by Tom Cooper, the production promises to be less ‘Arabian Nights’ and more ‘Ayrshire Days’.

For returning cast members Lewis Kerr and Ciara Flynn—who reunite as sibling leads Aladdie and Alassie—the transition from award-winning geese to magical carpet riders brings a mix of excitement and expectation.

The Ayrshire Dynasty

“There’s certainly an unspoken pressure on me personally, jumping into the title role,” admits Lewis Kerr. “However I am supported by the most wonderful cast and crew.”

Flynn takes a slightly more relaxed view of the weight of the CATS award hanging over the stage. “It’s wonderful to be in such a welcoming and fun rehearsal room,” she says. “The only pressure is trying not to corpse at all the hilarity that’s going on both on and off the stage.”

“There’s certainly an unspoken pressure on me personally, jumping into the title role,” admits Lewis Kerr. “However I am supported by the most wonderful cast and crew.”

Much of that hilarity—and the accompanying peril—stems from Boyle himself. As both the scriptwriter and the returning Dame (Widow Twankey), Boyle holds the keys to the kingdom, or rather, the “Ancient McMinger Dynasty” of “Old New Cumnock Town.”

Navigating a script penned by the Dame you share the stage with is a unique discipline. “Honestly messing up and exposing any weakness in front of Fraser Boyle is so risky,” Kerr notes. “He is so wonderfully quick and will catch anyone who is not on their A-game. Audiences LOVE him.”

Flynn agrees, noting that with Boyle, the fourth wall is often merely a suggestion. “You never know what’s going to happen!” she says, recalling a previous run-in with a particularly vocal patron. “I once had a leader of the Girl Guides demand I give them a shoutout, she came right up to the front of the stage and gave me a talking to!”

Silly Billies and Scary Villains

While such antics are unscripted, the setting is meticulously localised. This isn’t the generic pantomime village of Old Peking. Kerr, who has played the role of Aladdin previously in Perth, suggests that the Ayrshire variant requires a shift in energy.

“I understudied Aladdin in Perth and he was a curious, adventurous soul,” Kerr explains. “Aladdie in Ayr is much more bouncy, ambitious and does his best to impress.”

**Aladdie Readthrough – Ciara Flynn, Ava Anderson – Credit Tommy Ga-Ken Wan**

He will need to be ambitious to face down this year’s villain. Gavin Jon Wright, a stalwart of Scottish theatre often cast as the protagonist, is taking a turn to the dark side as Abanazar.

“Seeing the ‘Nicest Guy in Theatre’ take on the baddie is definitely a new experience for everyone,” Kerr says. “But he truly is an exceptional actor with such incredible range. At the end of the day, he’s still the same man who will stick the football on with me after a show!”

Flynn is equally effusive, warning audiences to brace themselves. “Gavin is truly one of a kind, there is nothing that man can’t do. His Abanazar will have you crying with both laughter and fear.”

Wishes for 2026

The playful chemistry between the leads is palpable, perhaps because their history predates their professional careers. “We were actually in a panto together as kids many years ago, so it’s like being two kids on stage again, we wind each other up to no end!” Kerr says.

“I once had a leader of the Girl Guides demand I give them a shoutout, she came right up to the front of the stage and gave me a talking to!”

Flynn adds: “Playing the silly billy is so fun, and it’s such an honour.”

However, their off-stage personalities diverge somewhat when it comes to the hypothetical magic of the genre. When asked what they would wish for if they found a real magic lamp, their priorities are telling.

“I’m a bit of a video game fantasy nerd so I would wish to be transported to a far-away land filled with magic and mythical creatures!” Kerr enthuses—a wish fitting for a man who claims his ultimate walk-on song would be Lost in Paradise by ALI.

Flynn’s wish, conversely, is grounded in the brutal reality of touring theatre fatigue: “I would always have a cold pillow at night to sleep.”

With a cast that blends such a mix of pragmatic comfort-seekers and fantasy nerds, Aladdie may well be set to defend The Gaiety’s title as Scotland’s premier panto house. What’s that I hear from other venues throughout the land? “Oh no they won’t!”

Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they?