Aladdin pantomime with all-white cast condemned as 'racist'

20 December 2022, 07:48

A pantomime production of Aladdin has been slammed as "racist" because of its all-white cast and the lyric "come on down to our oriental town".

The Liverpool production features actor Scott Sutcliffe in the title role as Aladdin, Coronation Street star Connor McIntyre as Abanazar, The Voice contestant Kelsey Beth Crossley as Princess Jasmine and actor Nigel Peever as The Emperor.

But it has come in for fierce criticism online from actor Irvine Iqbal, who called the production "shameful" and called for an "industry wide conversation"

Mr Iqbal wrote on Twitter: "ALL white cast in a production of Aladdin where the lyrics are 'Come on down to our oriental town' in the diverse city of Liverpool."

"This is diverse Britain! #Shameful," he added.

Mr Iqbal said he would have refused to sing the lyrics, adding that actors should challenge "racial slurs".

Aladdin is set in the made-up Middle Eastern city of Agrabah, on the banks of the river Jordan.

Benjamin Armstrong, who appeared in the West End show Rumi, said he was "disgusted" by the production.

He wrote: "I speak about casting authentic actors for Aladdin pantos a fair bit, but this goes beyond that."

Mr Armstrong said the lyrics were "100 per cent utter racism", adding: "there is no excuse."

The race committee of Equity, the actors' union, said they were "shocked by a very white-looking cast", adding calls for an "industry wide panto conference".

The UK Pantomime Association said they took "seriously the need for innovation and progression in the sector, including the… removal of racist stereotypes."

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The pantomime's production company Shone said: "Our casting calls are posted on the website Spotlight which is the largest casting resource in the UK.

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"Our adverts are open to all ethnicities. We have a diverse company of performers and backstage crew across all of our pantomimes.

"Our performers are cast based on their strength and ability for each role. 

"We are keen to ensure our organisation is representative, and we will take feedback on board."