Deafening delight from start to finish

DOES each year seem to go quicker or do pantomimes start earlier? - either way it is that time of year again.

You know the one - when grown men can't wait to dress up as women, sensible guys just love to play the buffoon and leggy ladies play thigh slapping princes - on the stage of course!

All these ingredients have been put together for this year's festive offering at TLT for the well-loved fairy tale Beauty and the Beast - and it was a deafening delight from start to finish.

The majority of last night's audience were local brownie packs whose screams and cheers became louder and louder as the night progressed - but that is what pantos are all about isn't it?

Each member of the large cast appeared to be enjoying themselves too, particularly the panto dames in the form of sisters Tutti (Denis Beardsworth) and Frutti (Garth Waddup).

Lovable buffoon, Gregory Gobsmack, excellently played by Paul Ward, and the man-hungry madam Lucy Lastic, played by Tony Thompson, complete with outrageous orange wig, certainly raised the sound to ear splitting level during the essential chorus of community singing.

The appreciative young audience also loved the Rose Fairy, played by Winnie Beatty, who, dressed in a hugh pink meringue creation got a rousing reception each time she arrived on stage to do her good deeds in the fight against the evil Countess Cruella - a superb over the top performance from Kaye Taylor, who was equally met with boos and hisses.

Director Ian Taylor keeps the jokes coming thick and fast and the time flies by - well it does when you are having so much fun - just ask the brownies.

A word of warning - there wasn't an empty seat in the theatre last night. It would appear that TLT's publicity machine has done its job well, but there are a few tickets left for later in the week - grab one if you can. Linda Hurst