URMSTON Musical Theatre's panto, Snow White at the Poolside Theatre, Bowfell Road, Urmston contains all the well-loved ingredients for success. It has comedy, dance, song, audience interaction but, above all, a rattling good storyline. The wicked queen who poisons her rival, Snow White, through jealousy after her step daughter has fled to the sanctuary of the dwarfs' house, has entranced people for hundreds of years and still does.

All the traditional pantomime figures are here. The dame (Aidan Kielty) is a scream especially when he is subjected to slapstick when he tries to bake a cake. Sixteen-year-old Rebecca Lake is a natural Snow White. She is full of femininity and has a singing voice to die for. Her elegant prince (Stephanie Hawthorn) can sing well, too. And then there are the dwarfs though, for some unknown reason, in this production, they are gnomes. All under 12, they work as a team in their multi-coloured look-alike costumes and march and sing in unison. This time, there is an eighth gnome, a doll called Mervin belonging to the Dame's son, Wot (Adam Hope). The children shout their heads off when anyone goes near him. There is something about pantomimes that attracts me to the baddy.

Myra Pennington's Queen Eldread is someone you love to hate. Her expression when the mirror - behind which lurks Adam Brame - tells her there is someone more beautiful than her, is unforgettable. She sizzles with inner rage as she makes her evil plans. No wonder she is hissed and booed whenever she appears. Despite her posh voice and vanity, there is something appealingly dizzy about her. Well done, Myra. Well done, too, for the clever way she gets her come-uppance and turns into a toad. Another plus is that at just over two hours, the show is not too long for the little ones in the audience.

Report for SUM by Julia Taylor