News Archive

Christmas traditions come in every guise: music, food, decorations, trees, crackers, gifts....and pantomime.

The pantomime, as a theatrical form, has been around for close to 300 years, according to Stephen Lee, the director of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp , a GRADS production for Christmas.

Stephen told ABC 720 that pantomimes, designed for enjoyment by all the family, were a traditional Christmas treat and had always included a mix of music from the traditional to the contemporary.

"For many years, Christmas pantomime productions have integrated popular songs of the time, regardless of how they fit into the script!" he laughed.

GRADS' production of Aladdin has some original songs too, written especially for the show.

It also has several children in the cast, including Felix (11) and Eliza (8), the children of Website Office manager Grant Malcolm.  Grant and his wife Sharon are sharing the acting, singing, dancing and laughter with their children.  It is the first time the family has performed together on stage.

Cinderella is the most popular Christmas pantomime, which GRADS presented in 2010. Aladdin is the second most popular and will be sure to draw big family audiences to Floreat's Hackett Hall.  (Please note, although GRADS is a UWA -based company, this performance is at Hackett Hall in Draper Street, Floreat, NOT the Hackett Hall on the Crawley campus.)

So if you're looking for a good old-fashioned laugh, complete with men dressed as women, women masquerading as men, old jokes, new songs and even a custard pie in somebody's face, get along to Aladdin .

It will run Wednesdays to Sundays from Saturday 6 December to Saturday 20 December at 7.30pm and 2pm (Saturdays and Sundays) at Hackett Hall.

Book your tickets here . Please note the matinee on Saturday 13 December is sold out. You can also call Arnold Wong, Production Manager, on 0417276653 for more information.