Dick Whittington

Theatre Royal, London E15

4 Stars

Panto fans should definitely make time for this seasonal offering in Stratford, east London.

Writers Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman have given the classic London tale Dick Whittington a bizarre but entertaining makeover, in which our penniless eponymous young hero (Ashley Gerlach) heads to the East End to find out if the streets really are paved with gold.

The audience won't share young Dick's disappointment at what he finds there.

Following a rousing intro by Fairy Bow Bell (Caroline Parker) which also provides a few useful pointers for anyone who hasn't seen a panto in a while - what sort of thing to shout at the actors, basically - we are swept up in a popular revolt against the tyrannical mayor of Lowdown as the starving people seize the fat cat's official regalia and unceremoniously kick him off stage. Boris Johnson should watch out.

But it turns out the deposed mayor is actually the wicked Rat King (Michael Bertenshaw), whose plotting to regain the top job involves Dick in an increasingly surreal adventure involving a giant magic cat - Tony Jayawardena, a delightfully camp performance - a trip to the moon and a priceless piece of exotic cheese.

Lefties will certainly appreciate the Rat King's indignation on finding the rats on the moon have all been thrown into jail but are unable to take on their oppressors as they "lack the organisational skills."

The laughs keep coming for children and adults alike with the usual panto mix of crude innuendo, sing-along songs and appalling puns.

Cross-dressing cook Shirley (Delroy Atkinson) is a particular highlight and the whole cast are adept at getting the audience involved, though parents may want to bring a few sweets along in case your child misses out when these are thrown into the crowd.

One for all the family.

Runs until January 13. Box office: (020) 8534-0310.