People’s Light Continues its Trademark Holiday Tradition
with Aladdin: A Musical Panto

 By Pete Pryor & Samantha Reading
Music & Lyrics by Michael Ogborn
Directed by Pete Pryor
November 15, 2017 – January 7, 2018
(Malvern, PA) People’s Light invites you to level up your holiday at our annual panto, now the Main Line’s favorite family celebration. This year, Aladdin: A Musical Panto, an adventure story infused with the adrenaline of video gaming, follows a young ne’er-do-well and his animal pals as they discover a mysterious lamp, rescue a princess, pilot a magic carpet, and save their village from an evil villain. Written by Samantha Reading and Pete Pryor, with music and lyrics by Michael Ogborn, Aladdin conquers the Leonard C. Haas Stage in Malvern from November 15, 2017-January 7, 2018. People’s Light is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets, call 610.644.3500 or visit peopleslight.org.
“We had so much fun letting this genie out of the bottle!” says director Pete Pryor. “This season’s Aladdin is sure to delight with new adventures, fresh faces, and those company stalwarts who have made our own brand of holiday hilarity a family tradition.”

“Families all over the area have made our annual panto their go-to holiday experience,” says Artistic Director Abigail Adams. “That inspires us to continue to connect these productions to people’s everyday interests.”

This year, it struck us how many features the panto shares with multi-player video gaming. Both offer intense, interactive experiences. Both immerse us in imagined worlds of high-energy adventure. Both invite us to care about the characters, and help them travel successfully toward their ultimate goals. And like gaming, the panto invites us to take a meaningful journey in community. We can share laughs and thrills and surprises with one another along the way.

Aladdin features panto veterans from the resident ensemble at People’s Light. Mark Lazar continues as the Theatre’s celebrated Dame, portraying Aladdin’s mother, the Widow Twankey. Susan McKey plays the Nurse, and Christopher Patrick Mullen appears as the scheming Fu. Tom Teti plays the Genius of the Ring.

They’re joined by returning guests and new talents. Frequent panto guest Kim Carson plays the Sultan. Camilo Estrada portrays Aladdin, and Samantha Funk appears as Princess Mai Tai. Zack Aguilar plays Morris the Mantis, and Peter Danelski is Manny the Monkey. Nicholas L. Parker plays the Genie of the Lamp. Melissa Barnathan, Mike Dorsey, and Emily Kaye Lynn play Fu’s three interns, while Adam Howard and Tori Lewis serve as swings, understudying all major roles in the production.

Co-author Pete Pryor directs. Co-author Samantha Reading assistant directs and choreographs. Thomas Fosnocht III serves as Music Director, aided by drummer Kanako Omae Neale. People’s Light’s Director of Design James F. Pyne, Jr. designs the set, and frequent guest Rosemarie McKelvey creates costumes. Company member Kate McSorley Fossner stage manages and Gina Pisasale dramaturgs.

CONNECT, ENGAGE, INTERACT AT PEOPLE’S LIGHT 
Join the cast for AfterWORDS, informal Q&As after Thursday evening performances (November 30, December 7, December 14, and January 4).

People’s Light offers a Relaxed Performance of Aladdin: A Musical Panto on Sunday, December 31 at 2pm, which will also feature American Sign Language interpretation by Hands Up Productions. Our Relaxed Performances, generously sponsored this season by Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, create a welcoming environment designed to include everyone and let you be who you are. We invite individuals with, but not limited to, Autism, ADD, ADHD, dementia, and sensory sensitivities to take part in the joy of theatre. For more information, contact the Box Office at 610.644.3500