As someone who has made it to the grand old age of 22 without ever watching Disney's Aladdin, I am so glad my first experience of it was the Whitehaven Theatre of Youth's adaptation of the magical musical about a 'whole new world'.

The show, which runs until Saturday night, opened with a slideshow of the group having an absolute blast during rehearsals, and gave the audience an insight into just how much hard work goes into perfecting the choreography, as well as the tricky handshakes and routines of Aladdin and his friends.

As with any amateur performance, there were a few hiccups and stumbles, but almost all were technical – the cast really were flawless, right from the oldest of the youth group to the littlest youngster.

The hand-made costumes are amazing, and every member of the audience was probably jealous they couldn't also be wearing the bright and twinkly outfits that were casting light-fairies around the room, and The Sultan and Genie handled wearing their curly-toed shoes so well (even if the actors, Jay Cruikshank and Max Doran, did have to resort to shuffling every now and then).

It was easy to forget the performers were amateurs, and even the youngest actors, who were just seven years old, were brilliant, adopting American accents for the performance as used in Disney's version.

Jafar was the exception, with actor Adam James taking on a sophisticated and sinister British accent, and his evil laugh made the room feel like the walls were caving in around us all – terrifying and fabulous, all in one.

And speaking of fabulous, Genie was as jazzy and dazzling as could be, with enough wit and pizzazz to have everyone in a fit of giggles all evening, and Jasmine's father, The Sultan, also won over the audience with his knack for comedic timing and charm.

The group's singing was also fantastic, with each character's voice matching their personality perfectly. 15-year-old Chloe Fawcett, who plays the role of Jasmine, particularly stunned the almost sold-out hall with her voice, which wouldn't have been out of place on the West End's version of the musical.

Of course, the main event of the evening was Aladdin's (or 15-year-old Rachel Donnan's) ride on the elephant, and her entrance as a newly made prince on the giant animal had everyone gasping, clapping and cheering – Royal Weddings have nothing on Aladdin riding an elephant through The Solway Hall.

The magic carpet ride followed shortly after, and the magic of the lighting, singing, and the literal flying around the stage forced the audience into silence, with the thunder of applause and whistles when the duo had finished their performance hurting people's ears more than the shocking canons used to announce Genie's release from the lamp did.

Every detail, from the colour of the smoke used around the genie to the soft blues and yellows in the lighting surrounding certain characters, was so effective, and added to the awe of the musical, and each member of the cast and crew deserves to be celebrated for their part in making the show so wonderful.

Although the performance left ears ringing and songs stuck in heads for long after they finished, it's unmissable. Watching such a talented group of young people perform such a funny and engaging show with so much confidence put huge smiles on every audience member's face, and the Whitehaven Theatre of Youth can definitely expect a standing ovation after every performance if every time is as good as their opening night!

The theatre group have four shows to go, and if you're lucky enough to find that tickets are still available, they can be bought from The Solway Hall's website with prices starting from £8.