Went to the pantomime last night at The New Victoria Theatre Woking with my sister and cousins to see Aladdin with Bobby Davro and Brendan Cole. I’ve been trying to find a site I can leave a review, it was disappointing, very poor, lacking in any sort of panto craft or energy, the sound was also awful!!!. Bobby Davro thinks he's a funny man and kept adlibbing and mumbling on stage and forgetting his lines. Brendan Cole was just a vacuum and just absorbed any sort of atmosphere, it was a shame, he was just a fish out of water and the baggy costume he was in, when he did any sort of dancing just destroyed any line or dance artistry. Panto writing is meant, I believe, to be at 2 levels, for adults and children, you either got one or the other!! There was so much slap stick and mucking about by the cast, this is not panto!!! You got spurious acts in between a string of songs, Bobby Davro was a kangaroo at one point, in Aladdin!!! really. There was a particular piece with a PANDA, that was hilarious, the panda was the star of the show but just totally forgotten about!!! The storyline was non-existent, it was most odd, extremely sad and disappointing, some people were enjoying it, however there were a lot of board children talking. Bobby Davro was getting upset because he wasn't getting the applause and kept grumbling and moaning and then told some sad tale at the end to try and get sympathy and people to stand up and clap!!! it was most odd!!! Last year's performance with Craig Revel Horwood in Cinderella was just magnificent, a true star of panto, was just a superb performance, the cast enjoyed themselves, it was a strong storyline, laughter and applause . Last night it was cheap costumes, cheap scenery, but the tickets weren't cheap!!! it was it a real RIP OFF!!! Such a shame just before Christmas, probably a 2 out of 10 rating!!!!, could not recommend.

Aladdin in Guildford earlier this month was brilliant - all the adults and the kids loved it! Imagine our disappointment today then when taking another friend's kids to the Woking version ...

I would not take my children to another panto with Bradley Walsh and co in. What should have been an amusing couple of hours of slapstick and harmless idiocy turned out to be a crude, lame and unfunny performance which I found extremely unsuitable for my youngsters. What has happened to our theatre when it relies upon the tired, feeble routines of stand-up comedians as a festive family panto?!