... Shelf Life Staged at the Phoenix Centre, this is a diverse entertainment encompassing farm grumbles and rural concerns, a view of consumer society and human life. Its start, on a farm, suggests a gritty drama, but diverting animal props and humour soon make the point that gritty is not the house style of Theatre Alibi. The plot soon begins to whim sically consider the plight of a shy man ...

... Essential Scottish Opera Musselburgh/Touring This annual tour of highlights from Scottish Opera is an unashamedly populist treat. It provides people across Scotland with an evening of guaranteed hits. Beyond that, it allows regular patrons to savour strong and confident voices, like that of tenor Alfred Boe, up close in a relatively small space, as here at the Brunton. Cleverly directed by ...

... Peppered with frenetic action Sadler's Wells Salt Edouard Lock, choreographer of radical Canadian dance company La La La Human Steps, gave up studying literature for dance, and the switch seems more than academic. Actively resisting to embed meaning in his direction, he attempts to get as close as possible to a state of pure dance. For the nine performers this means 100 minutes of the most ...

... Versatility shines through Criterion London Studio Centre/Musical Theatre Showcase Seedtime, directed by Ian Dewar, is the performing company of third year students following the Musical Theatre Professional Option on London Studio Centre's theatre dance course. At this point in the year, the company is divided into three groups which undertake different projects a play, a TV and video ...

... Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood Newark Robin Hood can be a gutsy, swash buckling tale and always goes down well in Nottinghamshire. But in a long and over-padded show at the Palace, the storyline gets very frag mented and there is never any real sense that the Babes are in danger. Fine talent like that of Lisa Jane Williams, a tall and truly impressive Robin Hood is squandered with too ...

... Aladdin Bournemouth Lavishly-staged, this presentation from E&B Productions at the Pavilion offers a wealth of fun, spectacle, music and dance. Jeremy Beadle's Wishee Washee may be short on characteri sation but he proceeds to wow the crowd with all manner of buffoonery and audience participation antics. Gareth Hunt earns ear-splitting boos as Abanazar, and temporarily relaxes into a classic ...

... Jack and the Beanstalk Potters Bar Chris Cavanagh has returned to the Wyllyotts Centre to write, direct and choreograph another inventive pantomime for which this venue has acquired a reputation. Though there is not much new that one can bring to the story, it is the incidentals that count here bright design, lively and original dance routines, the inclusion of such apt but less-used songs as ...

... Peter Pan Lincoln Peter Pan is flying higher than ever at Lincoln this festive season, not just because of the high standard of Chris Moreno's production but because the sternest critics of all the kids raise the roof in their delight. Stars in Their Eyes winner Katrina Davey's talent as Peter shows that she is destined for greater things, while experienced professionals David Griffin as ...

... Cinderella Mansfield I take my hat off to the Palace Theatre for doing its research, know ing its audience and giving it a thor oughly good time. Schoolchildren munching their way through goody bags in the shape of Cinderella's coach loved seeing their head teacher singled out for attention by the Ugly Sisters, even to the flaunt ing of his Christian name alongside their smalls on the washing ...

... Dick Whittington Redditch Devised and directed by David Vickers and Richard Chandler, this year's production at the Palace is stocked with all the usual panto paraphernalia. Jeremy Turner-Welch (Emmerdale heart-throb Tom Banbridge) stars as Dick with easy charm and an aura of calmness about him. Brian Croucher (Ted Hills from EastEnders) plays Alder man Rtzwarren with real panache his vast ...

... Aladdin South port Produced by Duggie Chapman and directed by Bill Maynard, the South-port Theatre's Aladdin is a winner all the way. With a cast full of TV personalities from Heartbeat to Coronation Street via Granada Tonight, this is a modem-day pantomime which still manages to retain all the traditional touches. David Lonsdale (Heartbeat's David) is excellent as the hapless Wishee Washee ...

... Dick Whittington Radlett The Brighton-based Upstage Prod uction Company has made the Radlett Centre's cosy creative space its home for the last few Christmases, having upped the regional pantomime stakes for others to match with last year's excellent Sleeping Beauty. Even if this year's Dick Whittington never quite reproduces that production's 'joie de festive vivre', this is still thoroughly ...