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When Chris Harris gathered up his dame's skirts ten years ago and decamped 12 miles down the A4, Bristol's loss became Bath's gain. Ever since he has presented an annual pantomime which, TV celebrities and video backdrops not withstanding, remains basically traditional fare.

As director - as well a chief cross-dresser - he has mastered the art of pumping up the audience volume and letting neither plot nor personalties interfere with the fun.

The simple story of a princess pricking her finger, sleeping for 100 years and being woken by a princely kiss is dealt with pretty swiftly so that Nurse Nellie's Harris, along with Tom Owen as the King and Jon Monie as Silly Billy can get on with their cake mixing, mirror dancing and other well tried jokes. In fact it is Buster Keaton-lookalike Monie who stands out.

Suspending members of the cast, including Good and Bad Fairies Liza Goddard and Gemma Bissix, on high wires together with screened animation provides a space age theme which culminates with Tim Bonser, as the Prince, fighting an aerial battle with a graphic dragon.

But in the end it comes down to the same corny jokes - some of them perhaps a little too lavatorial - and in delivering them Harris and co will always make you laugh.

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