The panto cast down in the wild Marches country don't need a Fairy Godmother - not while they've got Tony Christie.
Rewritten lyrics of his mega-hit bring a touch of festive magic to their show, with " Cinderella" standing in perfectly for "Amarillo".
Another brilliant idea is the projected footage of local scenes and celebrities, which places a big tick in the Courtyard's box marked " community theatre".
If you like your Christmas shows traditional, you'll love this. There are the usual terrible jokes, a glamorous leading lady, some good-looking guys, a bit of nifty dancing (Val Jones is the choreographer), sparkling costumes and sets (Keith Baker masterminds design) and bags of audience participation.
Another nice touch from director Nick Collett is to have a headless ghost chased round the auditorium - so make sure you're not sitting at the end of a row or you might find your sweets spirited away.
The Ugly Sisters (the hardworking Mr Collett again and the excellent James Dinsmore) are played as Chavs, with the odd Little Britain reminder. Both work the audience brilliantly and are good with what looked like genuine ad-libs.
Former Youth Theatre member Max Gell is a splendidly fluent and likeable Dandini and the gorgeous Sophie Ladds delivers a Cinderella of great assurance, despite being a recent drama school graduate.
I'd put up Paul Harper-Swan (a boisterous Buttons) for any job that Matthew Kelly is too busy to take on. Paul Russell is a properly soppy as the Prince and Terry Pearson shows deft comic touches as Baron Hardup.
The magic comes from Joanna Swain as Airy Fairy, not exactly a traditional Fairy Godmother with her cropped hair, northern vowels and obsession with television. A lovely turn.
Running time: Two hours. Until Jan 8. Details on 08701122330.
Sid Langley
