Synopsis: 

After 'Cinderella' the pantomime of 'Aladdin' is the second most popular in the country. The story originates in the 'Tales of the Arabian Nights', and in the pantomime version it is set in China.

The first recorded performance of 'Aladdin' was in 1788, at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. In the Arabian Nights the villain was not named, but the 1813 production of the pantomime called him 'Abanazar', by which he is still known today.  The Pantomime tells the story of Aladdin, son of a poor widow in Peking. Originally she was called 'Widow Ching Mustapha', and the part was first played by a man, James Rogers, in 1856.

During the 1850's, Victorian London was the destination for the first clipper ships that supplied tea to the London tea houses. The fastest ship gained the largest bonus, and at the time the 'Cutty Sark', now on view in Greenwich, was the holder of that title. There was a fascination for the Chinese style in architecture, fashion and entertainment. In the Pantomime version of 1861 the name of Aladdin's mother became 'Widow Twankey', in H.J. Byron's production. Twankey was a popular tea at this time, from the Tuon Ky region of China. Another character in this version was called 'Pekoe'.