Falkirk Youth Theatre Panto was a real beauty

The huge cast of youngsters laid on a show that was entertaining and polished in every respect, from the sparkling, witty script to the dazzling chorus numbers.

Each and every one of the youngsters on stage played their part – clearly well drilled but still brimming with enthusiasm. Each was given their moment centre stage but the pace never flagged and the jokes came thick and fast.

There were also backflips, cartwheels and lots of little cameos – such as the Strictly Go Dancing crew, who had a lot of fun at the expense of the BBC’s top names – and several political leaders, including a certain American politician.

There were even some rather lovely ballet sequences weaved into the tale and a chorus of fairies kept us all up to date with the story.

Leading the cast was Alex McNair as the Evil Fairy who was superb. Even a misplaced wig in one scene did not dent his confident performance, getting laughs and boos in equal measure.

Melissa Cook as Talia put in a strong performance, and her singing was first rate.

Sean Russell was full of personality as Prince Charming (I loved the Adam Ant routine) while Jamie McGinley charmed as Silly Billy.

Ben Russell’s inebriated king drew chuckles as he swayed cheerily, while Heather (Hannah Coutts) and Thistle (Aimee McQueen) provided lots of comedy. Katie Ferguson’s Bob earned a spontaneous round of applause for her nod to Honey G.

The mammoth task of pulling all this together was even more impressive when you realise many of the roles were split between alternating actors.

The professionals who give the youngsters such a platform have done a fantastic job with the show, which whizzed by, flowing seamlessly from scene to scene.

The jokes were topical with plenty of local references and the music pumps out, with the energetic chorus filling the stage, singing, dancing and enchanting the audience.

Well done to everyone involved. The hard work has paid off – there was absolutely no danger of sleeping through this beauty!