THE Elgiva's panto opens with a bang literally as the evil Abanaza makes a pyrotechnic entrance to set the scene for the age-old battle between the baddie and the goodie as they fight for the beautiful.

All the traditional elements were here, just as promised, for The Elgiva prides itself on sticking to the traditional format that parents and grandparents love sharing with the next generation.

Aladdin is a fair and long-legged beauty, enamoured of the ditto princess. The baddie is as scoundrelly as can be, Wishy Washy is cheery and lovable. And Widow Twanky is simply splendid. James Thorne plays the role brilliantly, witty and funny yet warm and friendly. And his costumes get progressively more whacky and wonderful throughout the show.

It's always fun to see how each production of an old favourite manages to have its unique moments. The magic carpet ride is cleverly manoeuvred, with a screen behind the carpet providing a very effective roller-coaster ride across the world. A 10ft T-Rex in the cave scene is quickly dispatched by our hero, while a Chinese dragon (created by Chesham Bois schoolkids) adds a nice eastern touch.

As always the local young dancers are super, the sets throughout are splendid, and the interactive parts carried off effectively.

No complaints, then. Actually, just a very small one. Neither I, the aged, nor my little seven-year-old grand-daughter enjoyed the loud pop music before the performance and in the interval too modern for us two, though I expect the middle generation liked it. But we felt it spoilt the traditional family feel of the panto. We wanted Rudolph, or Jingle Bells. Other than that: a great show.

Sandra Carter Aladdin runs until January 3