The Presidio Theatre presents the world premiere of The Magic Lamp, the Bay Area’s newest holiday show December 1-31. The production features an original script and music--setting the comic action in contemporary San Francisco--brimming with humor, audience participation, dance, magic and hope for the whole family. Panto is a traditional British holiday entertainment that combines slapstick humor, one-line zingers, outrageous characters and send-ups of current events. The Magic Lamp’s creative team and cast bring high-octane credentials to this new show with magnificent costumes, musical parodies, dance, magic and over-the-top silliness. The cast features versatile and popular actors including Rotimi Agbabiaka, Sharon Shao, Danny Scheie, Curt Branom, Renée Lubin, JM Appleby, Rinabeth Apostol, Scott Reardon and others.
The Magic Lamp script sets the story in contemporary San Francisco, with Aladdin as a bicycle messenger. Aladdin more than meets his match in Jazz, a strong independent young woman. Instead of a Sultan, the traditional disapproving patriarch has been re-envisioned as a powerful Silicon Valley Sultana. Following panto tradition, the production features a signature animal, in this case, Pecker the chicken and his clique of outspoken cluckers.