Review: Aladdin, An Awfy Braw Adventure @ The Byre Theatre

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Like it or not, pantos are still big business. They may have become a little more PC in recent years, but not completely. So writes Sass MacDonald for theQR.co.uk…

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The Byre Theatre’s ‘Aladdin, An Awfy Braw Adventure’ gets round any issues of misappropriation by being set in ‘the Fiefdom of Fife’ – and yes, that does provide ample opportunities for tongue-twisting fun. It is a smart conceit from writer and director Gordon Barr, ensuring the show remains rooted in local humour.

Our hero, Aladdin McSwankey – played impishly by Kyle Gardiner – is a ginger-headed scallywag and all the dialogue is in very accessible Scottish vernacular, as the subtitle suggests. No spoilers here, but the lamp is replaced by a bottle containing a very special brew.

The main parts are all played by seasoned actors and all deserve a mention, but Stephen Arden – choreographer as well as the baddie Salazar Sidewinder – is absolutely stand-out, hamming it up, goading the screaming kids in the audience to boo him more loudly and adding some brilliant asides, which I don’t think were rehearsed.

Being mindful of 21st century etiquette didn’t stop widow Maudie McSwankey, played by the Byre Theatre’s veteran Dame Alan Steele, from teasing a male audience member about how handsome he was throughout the show – ably abetted by Salazar occasionally. All good banter but maybe don’t sit near the front or become too vocal if you don’t want to be picked out by the cast!

And Isabelle Joss as both Wee Jeanie (the Genie) and Queen Fifi de Floof – so both a goodie and a baddie – certainly had me fooled. I didn’t realise she played both parts till I looked at the programme (another 21st century touch, being online for the whole caboodle, though a free short printed programme is available too). She warmed the audience up nicely at the start, getting the kids – young and old – ready to shout out with gusto.

Bravo to the Young Cast

The ‘Young Cast’ comprise a couple of dozen young folk, managed by Byre Youth And Community Arts and they should be highly commended for their excellent, very professional work. It would seem unkind to pick out any of them particularly, as they all contribute equally, but Royal Guard Bosh was played with such enthusiasm by Austin Manzie, I feel it would be equally unkind not to mention him. I think he’s found his calling.

The staging of ‘Aladdin, An Awfy Braw Adventure’ is magnificent and deserves a special mention to the whole design team, headed by long-standing Byre designer Carys Hobbs. Minimalist it is not, as is right and proper for a panto. Scene changes are made deftly and – as is the norm – allow little set pieces to be played out front of stage. The ‘steamie’ is all pastel-coloured fun and the caves are beautifully depicted. The lighting effects and pyrotechnics are cracking, with Benny Goodman’s lighting design adding plenty of visual punch.

The costumes – also by Hobbs – deserve a mention too: all rustic patchwork to begin with and exploding into a glitter-fest of colour as the show progresses. Widow Maudie has some of the best costume changes as you’d expect – though you might not expect exactly what you get. I applaud the departure from nothing but the ‘cupcake’ designs we’re used to seeing. Salazar the sleazy is magnificent as a cross between Snape and the Sheriff of Nottingham in his black, black, black outfit, complete with swishing cape.

Interaction? Oh Yes There Is!

And there’s singing and dancing and lots of audience participation – oh yes there is! The theatre was packed and the front rows were full of very excited kids who were allowed – encouraged – to participate as loudly as they wanted, whenever they wanted. It was a riot. Of the very best kind.

My only caveat is that 2 hours and 15 minutes (including the interval) is a long time for kids to sit still and most of them didn’t. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing as kids were taken out to the loo (cleverly and kindly woven into the script by Maudie). Starting at 7pm and finishing well after 9pm is late for many youngsters – but there are matinee performances most days to be fair.

If pantomimes are part of your Christmas tradition I would highly recommend this one to you. It has all the elements you’d expect and is delivered kindly and professionally by a cast who evidently love what they do. And, as ever, there is a lovely moral to the tale to warm you up as you leave the theatre and go out into the beautiful streets of St Andrews.

Featured Image: Aladdin – Byre Theatre – Photography by Viktoria Begg

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Aladdin will run at the Byre Theatre, St. Andrews, until Sunday 4 January 2026. For tickets and more information, click here.

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