JOHN Barrowman is a showman and The Krankies are veteran comedians.
Together the trio make a winning combination in panto at Manchester's Opera House.
There are some stunning effects, impressive staging and a couple of spectacular technical devices.
The music is good enough and Barrowman delivers pleasing vocals.
The dancers are bright, shiny and look sparkly though not a lot is asked of them.
In comparison the littler, ageing Krankie is staggeringly energetic and she and Barrowman wheel in barrel after barrel of laughs.
There has been some debate about the number of bawdy jokes, which do litter the script.
But this is panto and the cheeky banter is all part of the tradition.
But you do wonder if someone sometime might wonder in the current climate if it's appropriate for Barrowman to brightly smile in lines such as: "Would you like to touch my tiddler?"
He's game for all of that fun and plays it for all the raucous laughter he can rake in. He happily appears in tight white sailor shorts for a rendition of In the Navy and YMCA. In fact the plot of Dick Whittington takes a strange twist on to the sea for three scenes just to accommodate that number.
Barrowman and The Krankies package a great night out at the theatre. Just be aware the parcel will be bulging with masses of innuendo . . . and it might be a tad more than you want for the younger ears in your party.
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