Take an oft-told tale, a pinch of parochial humour, a ton of topical references and a cast that doesn’t take itself too seriously and you have village panto at its best.

The Colaton Raleigh Players have perfected this formula and with Chrissy Brimacombe in the director’s chair this year’s offering, Sleeping Beauty, did not disappoint.

It’s easy for panto to indulge in protracted episodes of  unrelated farce and irrelevant musical numbers but this production got the balance right, with slapstick and songs tied tightly to the tale.

With a plot spanning 16 years (116 if you count the 100 years the royal household spent sleeping), a restless script, some panto novices and a run of five performances the cast rose ably to this show’s demands.

Panto stalwarts Chris Silverthorne and Doreen Kociuba were wonderfully dithering royals King Cactus and Queen Marigold – hapless parents to newborn Rose. Thank goodness they had nurse Hettie Harpic on hand – a stand-out performance by Sarah Hitchings who stepped up a short notice with humour and confidence. In her role as Muddles Claire Blackwell’s slick delivery and faultless timing made her part cohesive to the whole, she and Nurse Hettie kept the chaos on track! From stroppy teenager to princess in love, Freddi Browring captured Snow White’s rise to grace perfectly and her strong performance was matched by Alice Thomas’s characterisation of her thigh-slapping, dashing suitor Prince Alexis  – some enchanting duets from this pair.

Sally Eade’s rise from the chorus to this year’s principal baddie Bad Witch Hazel was a wonderful (if suitably dark and sinister!) sight to behold, ably supported by her devilish henchmen Egor and Junior.  Prompt Jacqui Hamer was kept busy but the ad libs and moments of confusion added to the fun!

Fetch and Carry were a polished duo, Good Fairy Lilac a sweet force of good to counter Hazel’s darkness and Herald and Chamberlain solid forces of continuity and order. The rainbow fairies were a delight and the children hit just the right note of cheekiness and cheer. Special mention to talented musical director John Davies who leaves big shoes to fill as he steps down after many years.