BWW Interviews: ALADDIN AND HIS WONDROUS LAMP Producer Bonnie Lythgoe Shares Her Passion for Pantomime With BWW

Multi-talented British dancer, choreographer, director, TV presenter, TV producer and Broadway Producer Bonnie Lythgoe plans to make Pantomime an annual event as she brings her second pantomime, ALADDIN AND HIS WONDEROUS LAMP to Sydney and has plans for future years. Lythgoe shared a little of her vision with BWW.

Whilst Pantomime has not been a major feature in Australian live performance in recent years, Lythgoe saw the opportunity to bring the theatre form back. Following the success of launching Pantomime in America 5 years ago and her experience with Reality TV series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, Lythgoe realised that "families really enjoying being together watching a show". She noticed a 'missing link' in the entertainment offerings between the Reality TV and Musical Theatre that was available in Australia and felt that there was a market for family entertainment in theatre, at family prices, where "children and adults have an entertaining two hours of fun".

Lythgoe has noticed that Australian audiences are similar to the Pantomime audiences she has experienced in Britain making it easier for her to adapt scripts to the local audience and encourage children to get involved and "scream out". She noted that US audiences were harder to get to respond as the American families are "taught to behave in theatres and not speak out", which is a key part to the enjoyment and atmosphere of Pantomime. The difference that struck Lythgoe when she staged SNOW WHITE WINTER FAMILY MUSICAL at the State Theatre in 2014 was the Australian children's response to the snow that fell over the audience, a novelty that many Australian children have probably never seen.

In an era when children's entertainment is dominated by Disney, the question of whether it is difficult drawing audiences to embrace non Disney imagining arises. Lythgoe does not feel that this has been the case but she does note that her Pantomimes are kept "as close to Disney" as she can make them including having similar costumes. The Pantomimes remain as true to the fairy-tale as possible and are blended with modern music to enable familiarity. There have however been times when audience members come expecting the Disney characters as Lythgoe recounts the experience of a little girl asking why the Genie in the UK production was white instead of blue, but she feels that they "got away with it" and the child was satisfied with the outcome.

As part of bringing Pantomime back to Australian audiences Lythgoe hopes to instil a love of theatre in new audiences. She remembers the first live theatre performance she saw, PETER PAN FLY, and wants children to "love the magical experience" and "remember the fun time and want to come back for more." She intends to come back to Australia each year and make going to the annual Pantomime a tradition for Australian families. Following the 2015 season of ALADDIN AND HIS WONDROUS LAMP, Lythgoe has CINDERELLA planned for 2016 and PETER PAN for 2017.

When asked what audiences can expect from ALADDIN AND HIS WONDROUS LAMP, Lythgoe says that this has a star studded cast with "lots of laughs, music we all love and know, a magic carpet of course and a cave that is filled with jewels"... "and maybe even snow in the desert!".

ALADDIN AND HIS WONDROUS LAMP

State Theatre Sydney

3 July - 12 July 2015

Photo Credit: Sanshine Photography www.sanshinephotography.com

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