ALADDIN, KING'S THEATRE, GLASGOW

ALADDIN, KING'S THEATRE, GLASGOW

REVIEWED BY: Ben Dimmock, 10, from Bargeddie, his uncle Sean Dimmock and auntie Susan Swarbrick

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

Evil sorcerer Abanazar wants to get his hands on a magic lamp to further his powers, and only Aladdin - with a little help from Mrs McConkey - can stop his dastardly plan. The cast is packed with faces fast becoming King's Theatre panto staples including Still Game's Gavin Mitchell as Abanazar, Karen Dunbar as Mrs McConkey and Des Clarke as lovably hapless Wishee Washee.

Button cute Jenny Douglas plays Princess Jasmine with Kieran Brown as Aladdin and Gordon Cooper as Widow Twankey.

KIDS' VERDICT:

Ben: "The songs were great with lots to clap and sing along to. The best one was the 12 Days of Christmas and I loved when everyone got soaked. I liked when the audience had to make the 'ting' sound of the triangle. My favourite character was Wishee Washee, but Mrs McConkey was funny too. It was hilarious when the Slave to the Ring got squashed."

PARENTS' VERDICT:

"There was plenty of humour for the grown-ups too, although mention of being "sweatier than Nicola Sturgeon's boxers" came pretty close to the wire - "Whit, did you not know she has two dugs?" A brilliant foot-tapping soundtrack including Carly Rae Jepsen, Prince and Emeli Sande kept everyone dancing in their seats."

FUNNIEST BIT: Abanazar's cover version of Sympathy For The Devil by the Rolling Stones is deserving of a spot in the Stars in Their Eyes hall of fame.

SCARIEST BIT: Widow Twankey's costumes. Lady Gaga's wardrobe has nothing on this gal.

BEST BIT: Karen Dunbar owned the stage with her precision comic timing, but Des Clarke is fast becoming an audience favourite: "You've got Edinburgh Castle. We've got Castlemilk. One-nil. We'll take it."

MARKS: 9/10

DICK MCWHITTINGTON, SECC CLYDE AUDITORIUM

REVIEWED BY: Karen and Ian McConnell, of Netherlee, and children Matthew, 12, Michael, 10, and Luke, four.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

John Barrowman is back in his home town in the lead role, and is joined by Ian and Janette Krankie for the fourth consecutive year.

Dick McWhittington decides not to go to London, and pits himself against King Rat and his followers to save Glasgow and next year's Commonwealth Games. Clyde, the Games mascot, manages a cameo appearance. Our heroes end up in Morocco, at the palace of Sultan Vinegar.

KIDS' VERDICT:

Luke: "The bit where you had to wear your 3D glasses - that was the scariest bit. The character I liked was Dick McWhittington."

Michael: "It was good, apart from the One Direction song."

Matthew: "It was funny. The 3D bit was weird - there were random things coming out."

PARENTS' VERDICT: Ian: "Great entertainment. John Barrowman and The Krankies hit it off again, to hilarious effect."

Karen: "Sumptuous sets and gorgeous costumes."

FUNNIEST BIT:

When Dick McWhittington was promised Glasgow's highest honour, he ventured: "A bridie from Greggs?"

Janette Krankie's quip about being the "only person to have a full-length picture in my passport".

SCARIEST BIT:

The 3D snake, bats, spiders, and skeletons on the way to the Sultan's Palace.

BEST BIT: John Barrowman's solo of This Is The Moment.

MARKS: 9/10

THE WIZARD OF OZ,

MOTHERWELL THEATRE

REVIEWED BY:

Matthew and Nicola Lindsay from Cambuslang, and children Adam, 6, and Sam, 3.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT: Dorothy is trying to get home to Kansas aided and abetted by her new friends Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Alas, their quest is complicated by the fact that The Wicked Witch of the West is after Dorothy's ruby slippers.

KIDS' VERDICT: Brilliant. The Scarecrow was dead funny.

PARENTS VERDICT: An enjoyable evening. The Motherwell Theatre is an intimate venue and the kids really felt part of the performance throughout.

The cast also got them involved at every available opportunity. Oh yes they did!

The songs and dance routines were well choreographed and it was nice to see so many local children involved in the production.

FUNNIEST BIT: The crowd being soaked with water pistols as the tornado transports Dorothy from Kansas to Oz raised a lot of laughs.

SCARIEST BIT: When Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion are captured by The Wicked Witch's flying monkeys as they go to her castle.

BEST BIT: When the Wicked Witch of the West is soaked with water by Dorothy near the end.

MARKS: 7/10

THE NIGHT BEFORE

CHRISTMAS, THE ARCHES

REVIEWED BY: Caroline Wilson, her sister Lorraine and niece Patti, 4.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Modern day Mrs Scrooge Carol (Ronnie Leer) is planning to snooze through Christmas but her plan goes awry after she is woken by an elf hiding under her bed. Lost and lonely, he just wants to see Santa again. Carol agrees to help Elf find his master and in doing so begins to appreciate the joy of friendship and the magic of Christmas.

KID'S VERDICT: Not a peep out of Patti during the entire performance equals result. The animation at the end where elf appears in Santa's sleigh left her spellbound.

ADULTS' VERDICT: Magical and heartwarming with plenty of laughs, the show is ideal for 3-6 year-olds, particularly those who find regular panto a little brash.

At 55 minutes it's the perfect length to hold their attention and there are lots of interactive moments including a call and response for Santa which get all the children singing.

FUNNIEST BIT? Elf played by a brilliantly comedic Laurie Brown teaches Carol how to speak reindeer.

SCARIEST BIT? There are no scary moments, making it ideal for sensitive little souls

BEST BIT?

A lovely ice skating dance sequence between elf and Carol with impressive pirouetting.

MARKS: 8/10