Given the unhappy nature of current news bulletins from Baghdad, it was refreshing that there was, at last, some good news from the Iraqi capital – albeit courtesy of Ali Baba – The Panto Chipperfield Theatre Group’s latest pantomime. And you’d have thought Saddam himself had a walk on part, judging from the venom that was spent on the dastardly El Scorpio (Paul Instrall.) Things didn’t get too violent though. Just like in the real Baghdad there were no weapons of mass destruction to be found (although Fatima Kebab’s Snake pie was more deadly than a Ministry of Defence re-allocation of body armour.)
The engaging Rob Hine played our hero, Ali Baba, struggling to foil the deeds of his evil duplicitous brother. He was perfect for the part but how I bet he’d wished for some funnier lines. Unusually, given (and perhaps because of) their riotous recent offerings, the script – devoid of innuendo and satire – seemed a little bit flat to me.
Even so, the cast made the most of what they had to work with. Bill Callcut hammed it up to good effect as Fatima; resident CTG diva, Wendy Marchant, was excellent as Olive and Rebecca East proved a chip off the family block as Rhum Baba. But it was Sarah Cronin-Stanley’s wonderful stooge, Bubble, that stood out for me – she is really making a name for herself in these comic roles.
Unsurprisingly, there were a few first night nerves and teething troubles but the cast coped admirably with what was thrown their way. Nobody more so than little Corrine Swallow, whose professionalism in coping with a dropped prop belied her tender years. She typified the charm of all the children in the show. The group is fortunate to have such a willing and able set of younger stars.
Although the songs weren’t up to the standards set by CTG’s other shows, there were some nice interludes – the mystical spirit dance gave the second half an atmospheric opening and Fatima’s dance of the seven veils, although ultimately a bit of an anti-climax, was a very amusing tease.
So it was off to prison for our villain and off to the wedding for our heroes. If only real life was as simple as that.

Jason Cox