Made up of all the ingredients a good panto needs, Dick Whittington at Milford Haven’s Torch Theatre is the purr-fect family treat this Christmas!

With an array of fabulous costumes, imaginative sets and a script bursting with one-liners and traditional panto gags, there is plenty for audiences of all ages to enjoy.

Our narrator Bow Bells (Francesca Goodridge) tells the tale of how title hero and intrepid adventurer Dick Whittington (Joe Robinson) comes to London with his street-wise cat, Tommy (Oraine Johnson) to seek his fortune.

To help find his feet in the big city, Dick and his trustee companion gain employment as a dish washer and rat-catcher, respectively, with the wealthy Alderman (Richard Nichols) at his successful bakery franchise Fitzwarrens, where ‘cheese, bean and sausage melts’ are declared as the future of pastries!

Dick’s mother, Sarah the cook, played as ever by Dion Davies, who reprises his role as the the Torch Dame, settles into a job at the bakery too (after upping home from the outskirts of Llandeilo!), and before you know it, Dick falls in love with the daughter of Alderman, Alice (Miriam O’Brien), and everything seems to be going smoothly, until our hero is framed for stealing his employer’s money by the evil Gary Neville look-a-like King Rat (Sion Ifan), who is a scheming, all-round nasty bit of work, who robs from the rich... and even the poor!

As always with a Torch festive production, there are plenty of visual rib-ticklers to feast on, and quips that poke fun at local references, and the songs as always take in every musical genre going - from nursery-rhymes with a hip-hop flavour to magical Disney-esque ditties, allowing the younger audience to join in, and get their feet tapping and hands clapping.

The special effects utilise the theatre’s big screen background well, with one Titanic film homage proving particularly memorable as the cast set sail for Morocco, culminating in a dramatic shipwreck and climactic swash-buckling sword fight.

As expected, the show is stolen by Dion Davies’s instantly recognisable Dame, delivering her cake-loving catch phrases and comedic show-stopping tunes, including a floor-filling instant classic, which suitably enough is called ‘Disco Cake’.

The show is written and directed by award-winning artistic director, Peter Doran, with the magical sound and musical scores produced by musical director, James Williams.

Top-notch whimsical designs come from Sean Crowley, with enchanting lighting design by Ceri James, and gripping action choreographed by fight director Kevin M’Curdy, all providing a recipe for a heart-warming and joyful experience this festive period.

School performances are well underway, and audiences can experience the magic themselves, with public performances starting Tuesday (December 19) and running right through until Saturday, December 30, now with two special Boxing Day performances.

The Torch Theatre is also hosting a Relaxed Performance on Monday (December 18) at 6.30 pm, and a BSL Signed Performance on Thursday, December 21, at 6.30 pm.

Tickets are £18/£16 child/concessions; and £57 for a family ticket.

Visit The Torch website www.torchtheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01646 695267 for further information.

P.E.