"I'm his mother," Widow Twankey informs us as she takes the stage just after Aladdin. "I know - it's unbelievable isn't it?" But here the mischievous twinkle that accompanies the question refers not only to Twankey's illusions about her appearance but to the sheer absurdity of the sight before us. For this Twankey is Sir Ian McKellen, knight of the realm, arrayed in curlers, zip-up boots and fake fur of a preposterous colour. Imagine George Orwell in a yellow hair net and you are on the way. McKellen's dame, despite living in old Peking, hails from Wigan - she's a northern matron of the Hilda Ogden variety: battle-worn, tongue like a razor, heart as big as Blackpool Tower.
McKellen has waited for 40 years to play this part and his utter glee is infectious. He just loves it - the corny jokes, the saucy asides, the daft costumes - and his performance has a warmth that is irresistible. He's outrageous, but never offensive. I found him most fetching in his pink bloomers, fluffy slippers and Bet Lynch earrings; my companion could not contain herself when he adopted an Abba look in a startling white catsuit and golden platform boots.
McKellen's lovely performance is at the heart of an attractive show. Billie Brown's script is delightfully witty and features some nice topical references - a magic "Blunkett" that will fast track you to your chosen destination, for example - and John Napier's designs, inspired by the drawings of 12-year-old Flo Perry, are pretty and bright. Sean Mathias, directing, has done his homework and there are plenty of traditional pantomime routines. This is all to the good, though at the press showing the homework was sometimes too evident: the production was a bit stiff and peppered with little technical glitches. Some of the younger performers - even Joe McFadden's fresh-faced Aladdin - need to trust themselves more in the audience participation scenes: acting in a panto requires the confidence and determination of a market-trader. But such ease should come with doing it.
Like the old lamp, all this show needs is a little spit and polish to reveal its full glory.
Tel 0870 060 6628
