"Cinderella" written and directed by Adam Penford.

Nottingham Playhouse.

In some ways going to see pantomime at The Nottingham Playhouse and The Arts Theatre is like visiting family and friends at Christmas because you know that you're welcomed with open arms and the familiar faces are always good to see again, especially at this time of year.

I don't need to tell you the story of Cinderella, and this panto version includes many traditional scenes that have been played out millions of times over the decades. Scenes like the wallpaper and paste scene and the ghost in the woods are still funny, and predictable, but there is a new wave of panto goers every year who have not seen these scenes, and that is where the greatest laughs are coming from, so still hold a place in the traditional pantomime.

There's a return of dancing woodland animals, as well as the florescent section with routines to a selection of recognisable instrumental music which worked well.

The traditional opening of the two acts are with a young team of dancers; Monday night saw Team Pumpkin consisting of Effie Lennon-Ballard, Isla Farrell, Ruby Hardy, Nathan Hayward, Amiya Maxwell, Henry Pavier and Olivia Richardson did the cast and the Director proud, as well as their Choreographer, with brief dance routines to draw us into the panto. And they all looked as if they were loving their time on stage, and that made us enjoy their time on stage.

There's a section regarding what the characters would be if they weren't who they were which is carried out brilliantly and timed very well, creating more laughter from a very appreciative audience.

John Elkington will always be the star of the show, long may that reign, and that is taking nothing away from the rest of the talented cast that Adam Penford has amassed for your festive delectation this year. John plays Rose, one of the ugly sisters. An almost endless stream of costumes that grow even more outrageous the further into the panto we get. Take a good look at the costume designs because there's such a lot to take in, per costume.

John is such a well-established panto actor that he can easily ad-lib to great comedy effect. He has been in the business for thirty-six years but can still deliver fresh and funny comments. The section where he chats to a selection of young children tonight was possibly one of the most comical I've seen John do.

John's sidekick sister, Violet, is played by another local favourite, Tom Hopcroft. I've seen quite a few sidekicks for John over the year and Tom really fits into this Playhouse family well, and especially as a sparring partner for John's characters. A natural comic who can sing, dance and act in high heels, and un swayed by the ad-libs or actions of the cheeky Mr Elkington. One of the best new dames in local theatre.

Danny Hendrix this year plays Buttons. Danny's back from last year in yet another hard-working panto roles. He opens the panto and keeps the momentum going with the audience, and all with a great big smile on his face. Another high energy and fun performance from Danny.

Jewelle Hutchinson shines like a piece of jewellery in the title role. This is her first professional role but it certainly didn't show. Her voice is like cut crystal and when she sung "Over The Rainbow" her voice gave me tingles. Beautiful of face and beautiful of voice, and her costume reveal was magical.

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, as well as Her Ladyship, is played by Alice Redmond. For some reason Alice reminded me ever so slightly of Jane McDonald, not in looks but with in just a few things she said, and the way she said them. By the way, I love Jane McDonald, and I love Alice and her two roles. two opposites with the good Fairy Godmother and Her ladyship, the mother of Rose and Violet. If I had to choose, I'd pick Her Ladyship as my favourite; I've always been a sucker for a bad girl! Lovely controlled voice and a twinkly smile belies just how nasty this character can be.

Georgia-Mae Price plays Dandini, in her first role in a Nottingham panto. Georgia-Mae has great energy and an infectious smile as well as an infectious personality. Loved the scene where Dandino decided to switch with The Prince and the power took over. Dandini keeps the Prince in check well and the pair make a good panto pairing.

The dashing, handsome Prince Charming is played by the dashing, handsome Liam Marcellino. This Prince is not the sharpest knife in the box and could have come straight from a show like "Made In Chelsea" or "The Only Way Is Essex". Goofy fun from this young man who has been involved in several high-ranking touring musicals over the last few years, which straight away tells you that he has a good singing voice, which is proven in this panto.

You're always guaranteed an amazing set design at the Nottingham Playhouse; this year designed by Cleo Pettit. Every scene is more glittery than the last. From the circus ground with working Ferris wheel and carousel, to the closing palace wedding scene, via the phosphorescent section and the incredible flying horse and carriage section.

Someone else who is always guaranteed to be part of a Nottingham Playhouse panto is the Musical Director, Uncle Johnny Morton and his band. Such a big sound from this four piece combo, and John Morton has not aged a day since I first saw him, many years ago.

Tim Mitchell's lighting design is as spectacular as I thought it would be and the sound design by Adam Fisher, ably assisted by Ollie Durrant, was wonderfully clear, apart from one section where Dandini's mic did not seem to be switched on. Fortunately I was only in the second row and could hear Georgia-Mae perfectly without mic assistance.

Choreographed by Rosanna Bates. I love a good choreographed pantomime and this is especially good. the young team performed the choreography with ease and smiled throughout. The old adage of "eyes and teeth" were well implemented by this young group and the synchronicity was spot on. There's a great energy with these dance routines, both adult and children, and that energy pushes this panto on at a great pace.

The costumes are incredibly creative; I won't give anything away but they are completely outrageous, especially for Rose and Violet in the final scenes. A lovely white and gold final costume for the Prince and Her Ladyship's costumes are created to show off that wonderful figure. I'll not embarrass myself by saying more. Cinderella's ball gown was simply stunning and even Buttons smart costumes were classy.

Adam Penford's script was good last year; this year it's even better with sharper comedy, as well as some borderline lad's comedy gags, especially around Button's gold knob!! There are some old gags in there but there's a lot of new jokes included that make the show bounce along nicely.

Talking of pace, there have been a few things that have been trimmed down to make this show more streamlined and even the "butterface" joke was mentioned but swiftly moved on from. The section where the medley comes, over the years often saw several reprises; this was not done this year, which I think was a good directorial decision. Altogether more sharp and pacy which created a sleek performance.

Pantomime number two for me, and both are as good as each other, and no repeated songs between the two. There may be a couple of identical scenes with both of the pantos that I've seen to date this year, but that's panto for you. Nothing wrong with that because, as I mentioned earlier, they are what makes a family audience laugh. And laugh they certainly did.

A wonderful cast that delivered festive family fun. Fantastic!

"Cinderella" is at The Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 13 January.