Aladdin, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until January 3

"We're still actually doing two shows, but one is a shorter version of Aladdin for schools in the daytime, which we started on December 1, and the other is the family version of the same show, which we'll be doing fromDecember 16," says the SJT's artistic director.

"The daytime one is two hours long, including the interval, which is the ideal running time for schools, and the family shows will be 15 to 20 minutes longer with more music and more interaction with the audience by the dame, for example.

"The idea was to put all our energy into one show this time, whereas putting our energy into two distinct shows for Christmas over the past three years has been exhausting. We also tend to have an older audience who perhaps don't have young children, so we've considered that too."

Aladdin takes the form of a magical musical, written by Andrew Pollard, whose Christmas shows have become synonymous with the SJT, while Chris Monks is directing a cast of

Ian Crowe, Andy Cryer, Victoria Hamnett, Heather Phoenix, Arabella Rodrigo, Paul Ryan and Jay Saighal.

"I have no objection to people calling the show a pantomime, if they wish, but the reason we've not done so is that it's in The Round, whereas pantomimes are traditionally end-on. You can't say 'he's behind you' in The Round; you'd have to say, 'he's adjacent to you right', which doesn't really work, does it?"

So, a magical musical it will be, then.

"The way that Andrew takes well-known pieces and revives them is rather in the style of the pieces I've done, updating operas," says Chris.

In the case of Aladdin, Pollard gives the traditional tale a modern twist in a play with live music, songs, dancing and festive magic. Pollard's fantasy tale takes the audience on a whirlwind adventure from Norway and the shadow of the Northern Lights to the highs and lows of city life in Kashgar, where Aladdin and Princess Badroulbadour must stop Sven Gali – Norway’s answer to Simon Cowell – in his quest to find the mythical magic lamp.

"I've been looking for an opportunity for a while to work with Andrew, and this show provided that opportunity," says Chris.

"We've talked about how much of the panto tradition we wanted to bring into it; how much we wanted to take the story into a modern Asian city and the real world. Kashgar is as far west as you can reach in China, so it's a place of Islamic culture and we've taken that very much as the look for the set and the costumes.

"Though there are still caves and lamps and flying carpets, we're looking at the young men and young women in the Kashgar of today."

Chris is working with a cast of actor-musicians, who sing, act, dance and play all the music, while working with 16 young performers too.

Paul Ryan, last seen in the SJT summer season as Mrs Bouncer in Cox & Box – Mrs Bouncer’s Legacy, is gender swapping again, this time as Aladdin’s mum, Mrs Darzy, while Scarborough actor Andy Cryer, from this year's SJT production of The Last Train To Scarborough, plays Mr Ghobad, the business tycoon of Kashgar. Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduate Jay Saighal makes his professional bow as Aladdin.

"Our Princess, Arabella Rodrigo's Badroulbadour, is a worthy young woman; our Aladdin is a street singer; she lives in a high-rise apartment, looking over the slum where Aladdin lives an d his mum, Mrs Darzy, recycles items," says Chris.

"Andrew's script is also slightly more 'adult' for the evening shows when the jokes can be a little broader, but one of the things I don't like about pantomime is when it's self-indulgent, so we like to keep the shows tight with lots of dancing and fine music: Tamla Motown, Lady Gaga, The Four Tops and the song that will be in every pantomime this year, Pharrell Williams' Happy!"

Aladdin runs at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until January 3 2015. Box office: 01723 370541 or at sjt.uk.com