THE role of Abanazar in Aladdin at Darlington Civic Theatre will be performed by magician Max Somerset – who will give the character a fresh twist through his own sleight-of-hand trickery.

Magicians regularly appear in pantomime, and often play Abanazar, but usually have their own slot as a speciality act during a break in the storyline.

Somerset is planning something different.

“Traditionally, it has been about making the role fit the magic. I am far more interested in making the magic fit the role, and weaving it seamlessly into the action,” he said.

The magician – well-known to children through The Sorcerer’s Apprentice on BBC 2 – has had a fibre glass staff made as a prop from which much magic will flow.

Along with the rest of the cast, the 35-year-old performer began rehearsals in Darlington this week for the panto, which opens on Saturday, December 5, and will fit in 69 performances until the final curtain down on January 17.

It is the first time Somerset has appeared in pantomime, though he did some stage acting early on in his career, and is looking forward to provoking hisses and boos as Abanazar sets out to undermine Aladdin – played by former X Factor singer Chico – and steal his opponent’s magical powers.

His interest in magic dates back to when he was five, inspired by watching Paul Daniels on TV.

However, his parents – who had adopted him when he was two – persuaded him to follow his talent for music, which he did for five years at university with considerable success as both an instrumentalist and composer.

But magic eventually proved the stronger magnet and led him in 2004 to the leading role in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a talent contest in which children arrive at magic school and start trying to perfect tricks to avoid being eliminated.

The third series was broadcast this year.

“It’s a new and exciting arena,” he said, “because there are no primetime Saturday night magic shows on TV any more to inspire children as when I was young.”

Somerset’s own brand of magic often involves elements of controlled danger – having fireworks strapped to his waist, being locked in boxes or wired up to detonators, even having his head chopped off by guillotine. He is also known as a mentalist, someone who gets inside the heads of audience members to produce tricks through mind reading.

Ironically, this Christmas is the first that he could have spent with his biological mother, whom he made contact with about a year ago. In a rollercoaster of emotions, he also discovered he had a half brother and sister, who are twins.

“They had been searching independently for our mother and it all came together out of the blue at about the same time,” he said.

The twins live in London. “Perhaps they’ll come and see me in panto,” he said, “and perhaps I’ll fly my mother over from Switzerland.”

What better magic could there be than that?