Dick Whittington and his Cat review The Anvil

THE ANVIL stage is bathed with gold because it's panto-time and, as any self-respecting Christmas fan knows, that means lots of glitter, glamour and that shiny, yellow metal.

This year's offering from the Proper Pantomime Company, the team that has produced The Anvil's last three festive shows, is no exception - Dick Whittington and his Cat features flamboyant costumes, stunning sets and some surprise special effects.

Most of what you could want from a traditional pantomime - corny lines, jokes for the adults, jokes for the kids, audience participation, silly songs - is there, wrapped up in a joyful bundle of fun and fantasy.

It's another festive treat that almost matches the excellence of the venue's last couple of pantomimes.

Following Dick Whittington to London, where he intends to make his fortune, audiences find themselves rooting for the hero, laughing at his feline sidekick and throwing all kinds of abuse at the evil King Rat, who tries to thwart Dick's advancement towards his destiny as the Mayor of London.

And therein lies the main appeal of the show - Arthur Bostrom is an extravagant villain with a wicked sense of humour and a suitably theatrical style.

He is the strongest performer of the piece but Ana Boulter will make a fine Dick Whittington once settled into the role.

Amanda Redington is a confident and competent Fairy Bowbells, Rodney Bewes is an understated panto dame and the rest of the cast are great fun.

The scriptwriters seem to have gone for tradition over wit this year, following the advice of some that the "oldest are the best".

Still, there are some funny moments for the adults and it's refreshing to find a festive show that concentrates on the story and doesn't go off on tangents to promote the work of a pop star or make up for a sport personality's bad acting.

It does have to be said, though, that the biggest laugh from the kids comes when a swear word slips into the script - don't worry, it's all perfectly innocent and just their mischievous minds tuning in to playground humour.

So this one really is for the kids but to say that dults won't enjoy it would just be catty.

Dick Whittington and his Cat makes for a purr-fectly (sorry, but we are talking pantomime) entertaining evening and one that you can experience right up until January 7.