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The cast of Beauty and the Beast

Musical pantos may not be anything new to most people, but it was a first for my 8-year-old daughter and I.

And, by the end of the thoroughly enjoyable show we were all willing participants. We were out of our seats singing and dancing along with the 10 equally talented actors/musicians.

It just goes to show you don't need a cast of hundreds to captivate and entertain your audience.

Setting the scene

The set itself, created by Richard Foxton, was simple but cleverly done and mainly revolved between a farm and the beast's castle. We loved the detail, especially the moving bed and bed sheet. The drinks waiter and talking farm animals also added to the ambience.

But a panto just isn't a panto if the dame doesn't leave a lasting impression, and Justin Brett (Bessie Bigbreaths) certainly did that.

She was hilarious – big breathes of laughter from the audience at all her antics and jokes, even if some of them were a little risky and close to the bone. Thankfully, as they should, they went right over my daughter's head leaving him undoubtedly voted her favourite of all the characters.

Closely followed I might add by the incredibly talented and exuberant Fairy Fortunate – reminiscent of Bubbles in classic TV series Ab Fab. When she wasn't delivering her immensely wordy script with great gusto she played a little bit of magic on the sax.

Beastie Boy

Ladies, if the Beastie Boy (Matthew Quinn) is more your thing then he certainly knows how to entertain you!

I'll spare you the summarised story of the Beauty and the Beast, I'm sure you know it well. Nor do I plan to list song by song as it was the talents of these 10 individuals that captivated and enthralled more than the story or songs themselves.

So if you're stuck for choice on pantos this year, this one ticks all the right boxes and comes highly recommended by my eight-year-old and judging by the rest of the audience – them too.

All in all I think we definitely chose the best panto in town.