NO matter what you’ve got planned this festive season, you really should check out this cracking show.

Shane Lynch is the biggest name on the bill and the Boyzone singer played a decent baddy, forsaking his Irish accent for Middle-Eastern gruffness.

But he’s only a Peking duck in a Chinese takeaway of delights as Aladdin was full of catchy songs, strong performances, inventive sets and jokes for both children and adults.

The handing out of 3D glasses gave a hint of the invention to come with Lynch opening the show by setting out his dastardly scheme in front of a giant lamp.

After rubbing his magic ring he is greeted by a flash and Spirit of the Ring, Dani Acors, who dishes advice in a Catherine Tate style.

The swift change to a bustling market where Aladdin (Daniel Slade) and Mike Goble (Wishee Washee) are busting moves to Dancing Down in Peking was typical of the show, although it was a shame the latter barely featured because of early sound problems.

The relentless Goble was a strong contender for star of the show, putting in an energetic performance and being a conduit for most of the night’s jokes, while Slade was full of enthusiasm and has a great voice.

Portsmouth Panto royalty, Jack Edwards, was dame good as Widow Twankey, especially when it came to ad-libbing, while Richard Alan gave an impressive repertoire of dance moves, from Single Ladies to Staying Alive, in a memorable stint as The Emperor of China.

The swivel-hipped Ben Ofoedu of Phats and Small brought plenty of energy and West Indian charm as the Genie and Lucy Kane (playing Princess Jasmine) was given plenty of chances to showcase the range which brought her success on The Voice.

The audience was consistently involved from the traditional booing and hissing of Abanazar (no it’s not it’s not Abracadabra, Abergavenny or Air Conditioning – It’s ABA-NA-ZAR – proclaimed Lynch) while a Benny Hill-style chase through the auditorium brought the action even closer.

Aladdin’s chase was also the subject of the night’s most topical joke – hint, it involves a member of the Royal family and a well-known pizza restaurant in a Surrey town – while “in out, in out – this isn’t a referendum, you know” by Ofoedu was typical of the humour aimed at the adults.

The most impressive scene was Aladdin’s carpet ride, in which Slade flew over the audience in a dazzling technical feat, while a 3D segment involving ghosts, spiders and other flying creepy crawlies went down a scream.

Equally fun was the alternative Twelve Days of Christmas involving water pistols, five toilet rolls, two football shirts and three chavs from Fratton. Indeed, there were plenty of Portsmouth references in the show and gentle ribbing of the city’s biggest rivals.

The set changes also impressed, especially towards the end when the palace interior turns into a sparkly scene reminiscent of Frozen.

There was a surprise in Lynch not singing, especially given his boy band history, and he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as his fellow cast members in the concluding sing-a-long, but may be that’s all part of his moody roll. Either way, this was tremendous fun and a great way to start the season.