They had come to see magic, and see it they did.

As Peter Pan flew through the window and across the stage, the children gasped. Some of the adults, too.

This latest Alhambra pantomime maintains a magical tradition that has entertained generations of Bradfordians, all the way back to Edwardian times. In some ways, it rejuvenates the tradition, since this is the biggest and best panto we've seen here for several years.

Its stars are the comedian Joe Pasquale and the one-time Dirty Den, Leslie Grantham - both of them masters: enjoying every minute of it but not letting their own enjoyment get in the way of the audience's.

Pantomime has become, sometimes, a byword for tackiness: two-and-a-half hours of old jokes punctuated by a pop song and an odd line of plot. "This isn't helping to find Cinderella's glass slipper."

This one, however, has real class - not only in its performances but in the production values invested within it. The sets, costumes and especially the effects are well above the genre norm.

Danielle Brown (Emmerdale's Paulette and Mel B's sister) is an enthusiastically animated Tiger Lily, and Joanna Bobin in the title role performs a spectacular and elegant descent from the upper circle to the stage.

It's not perfect yet: the pirates wave their swords as if they're hailing a bus (though their acrobatics are superb) and the girls don't always wait for their laughs. Joe and Leslie's timing, on the other hand, is gauged to the beat: you could smoke a cigar during some of Leslie's long, lovely comic pauses.

The first night audience was composed in no small measure of VIPs - too self-conscious to shout Behind You too loudly, lest their bejewelled companions dig them in the ribs. By the second act, though, even they were clapping their hands to the music.

The little Sunbeams, themselves a Bradford tradition, were not only delightful but also exceptionally well choreographed.

"Do you believe in Peter Pan?" asked Mrs Darling at the end. "Yes," shrieked the children.

Let's hope they don't try the flying sequence at home, then.

David Behrens

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.