A CAT on a unicycle and blasting holes in cheese are among the highlights of the Theatre Royal Winchester pantomime Dick Whittington.

The fabulous feline, played by Jessie Angell, also performs acrobatics on a hoop suspended from the ceiling as she teams up with Dick to rescue London from the claws of King Rat and his rampant rodents, the Squeaky Blinders.

While King Rat (Kristopher Milnes) is loud, proud and evil in his bid to become Lord Mayor of London, Dick (Ed Thorpe) is a bewildered Wintonian trying to earn fame and fortune in the capital.

But with the magic of Fairy Bow Bells (Libby Gore) – plus the help of Dame Dolly Dumpling (Julian Eardley) and an alderman, captain and sultan played by Jon Bonner – Dick rises to the post of Lord Mayor, rehabilitates King Rat and marries the alderman’s daughter Alice Fitzwarren (Joanna Brown).

Of course none of this is straightforward, and Dick experiences unemployment, shipwreck and exotic dancing in Casablanca before the happy ending.

I took my wife and three-year-old daughter to gauge the show’s impact on its target audience. Our little girl laughed, cheered, shouted and pointed in all the right places – and jumped out of her seat when a giant gun was used to create Emmental.

This show is slickly staged, with clever use of lighting, projection and curtains allowing 15 scenes and various effects to be created with the minimum of props.

The young support cast performs admirably in a variety of dancing roles to the beat of drummer Joe Pickering, and modern cultural references to look out for include Asda, EastEnders, West Bromwich Albion and Jaws.

Dick Whittington is an excellent traditional pantomime which proves you do not need big stars, pop songs and ear-splitting volume to make a superb show.

As our three-year-old critic said once the final curtain fell on two hours and ten minutes of great fun: “I don’t want to go yet!”

Dick Whittington runs until January 5, with individual ticket prices ranging from £16 to £25.50. To book, call 01962 840440 or visit www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk

Review by Paul Coates