An excellent panto? Oh yes it was!

The young dwarves find Snow white after she has eaten the wicked Queen's poisoned apple.

The annual pantomime of the friends of St Gabriel’s, Castleton, was up to the high standard of previous years; a remarkable feat because building work at the School on Vicarage Road prevented the show from being performed as normal in the school hall.

The whole show was transferred to Cardinal Langley RC High school in Middleton., where a large youthful cast, led by Chesca Fisher as Snow White and Ami Hilton playing Prince Peter, delighted the audiences with songs, dance, drama, and comedy routines.

There are no celebrity stars in St Gabriel’s pantomimes but the seven dwarfs cast from the juniors in the school almost stole the show.

Three different choruses (junior, middle and seniors) performed their routines with wonderful gusto and aplomb.

Sammy Moore’s portrayal of the Wicked Queen was subtle and evil enough to cause much traditional “Booing” from the younger members of the audience and the comedy team of Paul Murtough (Dame Nellie) Adam Sweeney and Simon Thompson (Freddie and Fritz) ably supported by Martin Kelly as the King, had the audiences in uproar with their routines and Ad libs which came fast and furious.

Musical director Peter Fisher arranged and played a balanced mixture of old and modern melodies that were just right for the traditional village pantomime.

The secret of a good pantomime is colour; this was in abundance for this production with colourful costumes and scenery all beautifully lit by the lighting team of Jason Foster, Don Harper and Simon Chown.

The programme listed 53 members in the cast and almost as many in backstage and supporting roles and St Gabriel’s can feel proud to have such amazing support from pupils, parents, parishioners, and residents of the village.

The production team of Ann and Tommy Ingham together with writer director Billy Sheerin can be highly commended for their many hours of hard work resulting in an evening of truly wonderful magical entertainment.