WHO could resist the tale of Aladdin, the cheeky son of a washerwoman in Peking who wants to woo a pretty princess?

This is a jam-packed performance, full of song and dance, magic and slapstick, love and hate, laughter and hissing.

My five-year-old friend, Jake, was most impressed with the leading couple, Tam Ryan (cousin of Zoe Ball, apparently) as Aladdin and Michelle Fildes as the princess. (He was equally impressed with the £1.50 sword his mum bought him at the interval, by the way. Parents be warned -- there is a host of must-have Aladdin-esque merchandise on offer for boys and girls).

Jake also got carried away with Paul Crone as Aladdin's brother Wishee Washee. To be honest, panto seems the best place for this Granada Tonight reporter -- kids love him.

But I was more taken with Andrew Oldham as the frisky widow Twankey. He is a riot and gives a whole new dimension to The Twelve Days of Christmas song, involving "a bra that can only fit three".

Bernard Wrigley, yes, that is the Bolton Bullfrog, makes a great PC Ping with skinny legs in shorts, next to the fat PC Pong (Paul Fairclough). There was even a guest performance from Lofty -- wearing leather trousers in one scene -- which went down a treat with the youngsters.

Mervyn Frances is a suitably nasty Abanezer, but although Derek Yelding is clearly a talented ventriloquist, his performance as the emperor is somewhat lacklustre.

The most lavish scene, set inside the secret cave of jewels, has everyone spellbound and you can not fail to be impressed by the superb dancing of the chorus, the glittering costumes and the professionalism of the cast.

The only minor drawback is that the show is on the long side, with kids (and adults...) getting tired and fidgety by the end of it.

But all in all, this is great entertainment of the old-fashioned kind, with some fantastic modern twists and local gags. Take the children, or borrow someone else's, and enjoy. It runs until January 6.

Irma Heger