Sparkle, excitement, audience participation… it’s panto time again at Wycombe Swan, writes Sandra Carter.

And this year’s trip to Olde London Town with Dick Whittington and his cat brings together all the well-loved traditional elements.

My visit was for a matinee, and since the audience included hundreds of youngsters, the cast didn’t have to try hard to get them to shout, boo, and respond to Jack’s invitation “Do you want to join my gang?”

Of course we all did.

Most dazzling feature of this show for me, unusually, is the costumes.

These are simply stunning, with the dancers wearing beautiful and creative outfits.

There are half a dozen adult dancers and the same number of small children from the Jackie Palmer School, who are both charming and amazingly professional as they perform in slick routines.

Dancing is, indeed, a key focus of this show, particularly with our hero Dick being played by world-class professional dancer Curtis Pritchard (a finalist on this year’s Love Island).

Though not an actor or singer, his enthusiasm and charm win over the audience as he sets out to win fame, fortune and happiness.

Dame Sarah Fitzwarren, played by Thomas Howes, looks the part with outrageous and whacky costumes. Some dames produce a funnier, more over-the-top version of the male-as-female role, but this Sarah is warm and winsome.

King Rat (Jo Parsons) has no problem eliciting boos from the kids throughout with his evil manner and sinister voice.

His rat followers are cleverly played too by the adult and young dancers.

The Spirit of Bow Bells, Leah Godbold, has a lovely voice as she works her magic to help our hero, while TomTom the cat (Samuel Phelps Jones) is a cute helper with impressive dance moves.

Fair maid Alice (Kier-Nicole Brennan), known to youngsters as a host on Channel 5’s Milkshake!, provides a great partner for Dick in their dance routines, while Idle Jack (Adam C Booth) brings jokes and humour and Sultan Vinegar (Spin) provides exotic colour along with his harem.

I love the sets: town, ships and island backgrounds in soft palettes, with Bow Bells a constant and pretty theme.

The special effects are memorable too - especially a jaw-dropping scene with a big fish.

The annual Swan panto has sometimes welcomed top show-biz stars and very funny comedians, which must be a hard act to follow.

This year we have an entertaining dance-and-song extravaganza, with plenty of colour, sparkle and laughs.

As always, panto remains for many of us an essential feature of the festive season.

Dick Whittington continues at Wycombe Swan until January 5.

Tickets at www.wycombeswan.co.uk or call the ticket office on 01494 512 000.