A terrific family panto with plenty of laughs. Grandparents and four children 5 - 11 who absolutely adored it and said it was the best. They engaged with all the audience responses in full voice. No holding back. Really engaged with the cast. Great costumes especially for Dame Sarah, Queen rat and the cat and the final party gowns. There was a really lovely and lively atmosphere. I would definitely recommend.

So so panto. The sweet shop cast number was the only real high light. The story didn’t flow and the whole thing seemed badly rehearsed and poorly directed. The whole thing needed to be much tighter.

Not that it is vital but there was no real story line and so the flow was lacking. Fluffed lines, lame and very old jokes, slightly off key singing (by Dick) and many bad timing. Ad lib didnt always work and interaction of the cast was lacking. However, the two under 6’s and an under two loved it so who cares .

Handsome to look at but uninspired. Paul Merton as the Dame displayed no stage presence or feminine qualities and resorted to an annoying number of asides. Suki Webster did her best to inject some energy into the show but despite the couple's billing matter there were no striptease or slapstick sequences. Vivian Parry's theatrical experience contrasted sharply with Wendy Mae Brown's rather subdued Spirit of Bow Bells. Jack Danson made an enthusiastic panto debut and Erin Sophie Halliday as Alice sang sweetly. The dancers showed off their skills in the Flash Bang Wallop number, which was the show's highlight. A major gripe was that the show lasted only 90 minutes including interval, yet the writers were clearly struggling to find sufficient material to fill the second half, resorting to a poorly choreographed Twelve Days Of Christmas and a rambling plot summary from Paul Merton. Using Happy Birthday as the song sheet seemed bizarre. The best costumes were saved until the walk down.

The production value felt lower compared to previous years. The characters lacked charisma. The jokes were flat. Very disappointing.