AS any parent will tell you, Christmas is all about the kids.

And numerous high pitched hollers of delight, dancing in the isles and laughing, happy little faces showed that the kids in the audience at The Brindley last night fell head over heels in love with the Runcorn theatre’s pantomime production of Cinderella.

As a 37-year-old dad-of-three who has endured enough screaming children to last a lifetime, pantos are not exactly my favourite form of entertainment.

But I can appreciate their charm and have seen enough of them to be able to distinguish the beautiful swans from the ugly sisters.

The bearded dames apart, there is nothing ugly about the latest annual Polka Dot Promotions panto at The Brindley.

If you are looking for a strong cast, slick sets, good acting, highly tuneful singing and professional standard dancing complemented by plenty of well-chosen songs, the shoe fits here.

The script was also better that I was expecting, with lots of decent gags to keep the adults entertained.

The ugly sisters had me chuckling away to myself on several occasions and the two men playing them thoroughly deserved their standing ovation at the end, despite one of them blasting me in the face with a water gun at one point – it’s the last time I sit near the front at a panto.

Miss British Isles Rebecca Lake also shone in the lead role of Cinders while former pop singer and actress Sonia showed that she still has star quality with a classy turn as Fairy Superior.

My only criticism is the lack of surprises, with too many of the highlights – the 12 days of Christmas sequence, spraying the spectators with water guns and the ‘call my name if anyone tries to steal this toy’ audience instruction – being copied from last year’s Aladdin panto at The Brindley starring ex-EastEnder Dean Gaffney.

Polka Dot Promotions needs to change its spots in this regard.

But if you have not seen a panto at The Brindley before or you are under 10 years old, ask your fairy godmother to ensure that you shall go to the ball.

A feast of feel-good festive entertainment is guaranteed, with the show running until January 15.