I DON'T  know who enjoys Arnold Ashbrook’s panto the  most – the cast or the audience.

 

Arnold wrote, composed the music and plays the keyboard

for The Magic Wishing Well, a charming  musical tale about children who travel down a wishing well to fairyland.

 

The children, played by Jade Long and Demi Heywood, are captivating as they are sent on their journey by a not so evil witch with an infectious cackle (Jan Hardman)

 

Once at the bottom, they meet an array of weird and wonderful characters some of whom are well-known on the panto scene.

 

Whatever goes wrong - and some things do - they plough ahead, and those watching at St Francis Church Hall, Sale Moor do likewise laughing off lost lines and delayed entrances.

 

The worst thing that happens is when one of the gangsters crucial to the plot, through no fault of her own, can’t appear.

 

This is where Emily Gilbert steps in.   Already playing Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk where she not only has to handle  a wilful pantomime cow, but  sing beautiful solos, she  now fills the gap as Harry, the gangster.

 

Harry and his wicked partner, Luciano, a deep voiced Rachael Long,  pretend to be Cinderella’s ugly sisters dressed to the nines for King Cole’s “21st” Birthday so that they can poison him.

 

It’s a miracle how Emily manages the quick costume changes.

 

The real ugly sisters, dressed outrageously by a four strong team, three of whom have parts, are just two examples of the dazzling array of costumes.

 

Gordon Buchan’s Old King Cole becomes a merry old soul, when he hilariously turns into a hip-shaking Elvis.

 

His son, Mike Parry’s Prince Charming is anything but yet gets lots of laughs from the audience who participate enthusiastically.

 

Everyone, including me, loves the foot tapping tunes and adults and children leave feeling cheered up in one of the best family shows around.

 

*  The Magic Wishing Well continues until Saturday, 29 November.   For tickets, £6 adults, £4 children, call 0161 969 0270.   Star rating:  * * *