On Saturday, Mansfield's Palace Theatre opened its near sell-out production of 'Sleeping Beauty' with Malandra Burrows (ex-'Emmerdale' and 'I'm a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here') and Tom Owen ('Last of the Summer Wine').

But stealing a march by one day was Nottingham Playhouse where theatre legend Kenneth Alan Taylor added to his writing and directing talents as he returned to the stage as Widow Twankey in 'Aladdin,' his 25th consecutive panto for the Playhouse.

And, as befits a "dame of the theatre," Kenneth kept his many fans waiting until the second act before stealing the show in one of his many outrageous stage costumes, taking over from fresh-faced Nathan Dowling who had delighted the audience with his all-dancing and singing, streetwise Wishee Washee.

Kenneth, widely renowned as one of the last true masters of the traditional family panto, is a real team player a shown by his merry band of players, both old and new to Nottingham audiences.

They include:

• The versatile John Elkington, a dame for the past two years, who notches up his 10th Playhouse panto as the evil magician Abanaza.


• Last year's Fairy Bow Bells, Rebecca Little marks the 10th anniversary of her own debut with Kenneth in the dual roles of Widow Wang and the Slave of the Ring.


• Back in the city after a 20-year break is Philip Herbert who re-appears in a puff of smoke as the Genie.

While in the orchestra pit, musical director John Morton notches up his 20th year in succession of keepign the panto in tune.

Aiding and abetting the family fun, which goes on until Saturday 24th January, are fresh new talent Hannah Wilding and Danielle Corlass as, respectively, Aladdin and Princes So Shy, sporting their golden voices in a song-packed production, which inclues an Abba medley, Boyzone's and 'This Could Be the Start of Something' from 'Britannia High' ahead of Kenneth leading the whole troupe, and the audience, in a much-encored rendition of 'Timewarp' from 'The Rocky Horrow Show.'

There's more panto hijinks in Nottingham from this Friday, 5th, when all-round entertainer Brian Conley as Buttons heads the cast of 'Cinderella' on until Sunday 18th January, while across at Newark, the town's Palace Theatre will be home to Jeffrey Holland ('Hi-Di-Hi') and Tony Scannell ('The Bill') in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' which runs from Wednesday 10th December until Sunday 4th January.

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