IT’S that time of year when serious theatre is banned from the Oxford Playhouse as slapstick and mayhem rolls in.

Pantomime is back, oh yes it is, and this year’s offering is Aladdin, with a modern take on the classic story from the Arabian Nights, which brings a new cast, director and dame to the city.

In the far-away Chinese town of Ox-A-For, evil Abanazer plots to steal a lamp housing a groovy genie, who could make all his dreams come true.

But he needs Aladdin, a boy pure of heart, to obtain this precious lantern.

Can Aladdin free the genie, thwart the enemy and save his friends, or will Abanazer get his way and become emperor?

This year’s pantomime is written and directed by Steve Marmion, the artistic director of the Soho Theatre and previously director of celebrated pantomimes at the Lyric Hammersmith.

It promises plenty of catchy tunes, lots of laughs, and chance to cheer and jeer, boo and hiss, yelling, as loud as you can “He’s behind you!”

The cast includes veteran actor Nigel Betts, of Emmerdale and BBC 2’s Boy Meets Girl, making his debut as the dame, Widow Twanky.

Adam Samuel-Bal, who takes the lead role of Aladdin, trained at the Guildford School of Acting and has toured the UK in various productions. Kiran Sonia Sawar, a graduate of the Oxford School of Drama, plays Princess Perfect Rose. She most recently played the lead role in The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Unicorn Theatre.

Panto baddie Abanazer is played by Paul Barnhill, who has worked with companies such as Headlong, the RSC and Northern Broadsides, and in the West End.

It features 20 young people from Oxford who make up Aladdin Young Company.

The show opened last Friday and runs until Sunday, January 10. Tickets start at £15. Call 01865 305305 or see oxfordplayhouse.com