The safe option. A traditional panto, at a traditional panto theatre, performed by an experienced traditional theatre company albeit with untraditionally climbing ticket prices.

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Firstly, a disclaimer, I have known the star, Dame Sam Rabone for fifteen years and have performed alongside him. He is a friend, however secondly I paid for my own ticket and those of ten of my family who accompanied me ( over £200) – so I can say what I want!

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Production values are high, the stage looks good, and the costumes are bright and shiny. Sam is a veteran Dame and holds the show together.

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There is always a story behind the story of a good panto .  Jack returns after nine years. In this case it is  writer and media polymath Paul Hendy and Evolution productions who have ten shows running UK  wide simultaneously starring the likes of: Stephen Mulhern, Duncan James, and  Shirley Ballas. Whilst Evolution guarantee a standard, there is plenty of room for local jokes ( the folk of Rugeley do not escape) and topical political gags.

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In a show in which we of course have a man as a dame . Jak is performed by a woman. However Becky Sanneh seems unsure whether this sis a girly jack, or a boyish jack and falls awkwardly in the middle. Ben Thornton appears as  hapless son Billy giving us lenty of laughs, and Gill Jordan (previously known as her Black Country character, Doreen Tipton) is a pensioner Fairy Sugarsnap. As a pensioner myself I have nothing  against employing pensioners but the role was clunky and  poorly written, She deserved better.

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The star of the show was Joe Feeney as  villain , ‘Luke Backinanger’, the giant’s henchman. Feeney’s performance is part camp, part psychotic murderer in waiting, and is magnificent.

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Act One starts with big production numbers but runs out of steam. Act two is a joy, with Dame Trott’s shower sequence the highlight. Although I have seen the ghost sequence dozens of times before, my grandchildren had not, and loved it. A  rip roaring wedding finale had grandaugher Darcy dancing in the aisles to “Proud Mary”

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Christmas requires snow, Santa and a good pantomime. Lichfield Garrick did their bit