Aladdin Open Dance Auditions a great success

More than 150 youngsters battled it out to earn a place in this year’s family pantomime Aladdin at the Playhouse.

The young hopefuls showed off their dancing skills at the auditions held at the Playhouse on Sunday (July 18).

They were judged by representatives of New World Productions, which is returning to the Playhouse with Aladdin following the record-breaking success of last year’s panto Cinderella.

Following the auditions, the judges whittled the list down to approximately 30 children and have been spending the week notifying them of their success. They will rehearse with New World choreographer Alison Hefferon throughout November and will be split into three groups for the show run from December 3-January 3.

Director Guy Pascall said he was delighted by the quality of the youngsters auditioning on the day.

“It’s only our second year here at the Playhouse but we are already struck by the high standard of those auditioning in Harlow,” said Guy. “The reputation of what we do is starting to get out and this shows in the quality and quantity of the kids we get through the door. It’s a very good sign.

“It’s always a nice part of the job to contact the successful youngsters. The rehearsals will be led by Alison who has been working on Grease in the West End, so they will get really good experience out of it.”

Guy added: “We are ahead of schedule with the show which is great. It’s starting to come together now and we’re getting excited about it being another fantastic show.”

Tickets for Aladdin are available from the Playhouse Box Office on 01279 431945 or online at www.playhouseharlow.com/whatson/plays/aladdin