For a vast swathe of Cornish residents, the Hall for Cornwall Christmas show is as much a festive tradition as decorating the tree or battling the crowds at Trago for the last set of discounted fairy lights.

I, however, have not been one of them – until now. Having so far fallen into that in-between category, where I was “too old for pantomimes” when they began at the venue two decades ago, but without a child of my own to give me a reason to relive my youth, this was my first experience, but will not be my last.

With a two-year-old daughter now in tow I was at last given my first taste of what I’d been missing, at this year’s production of Sleeping Beauty – incidentally, little girl’s favourite Disney film to date. No pressure.

A proper Cornish caper into Christmas, this is definitely one for the locals, with the A30, Ginsters and an A-Z of towns and villages referred to.

Personifying this was Edward Rowe, aka the Kernow King, aka hero of the show Kenwyne. Quite frankly it could not have been anyone else – he is the “King” of Cornwall after all – and his unstinting enthusiasm was infectious.

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He was joined on stage by a likeable cast that included the sweet-yet-feisty Jennifer Clement as Princess Rose, Granville Saxton doubling up as King Mark and the host of a ridiculous yet nostalgic game show Find Me a Fella, Deborah Tracey as his power-crazed (and powerfully-lunged) sister Carabosse (it took a little while for the young audience to work out who they should be booing, but once they did they sure made up for lost time) and the hilarious Darren Seed as Prince George, whose character rather lets the side down as a hero but most definitely delivers in the comedy stakes.

There was a genuinely exciting action sequence involving a dragon and bursts of actual fire that left a few of the really tiny ones in the audience needing a little reassurance, but overall the whole show is perfectly pitched for a full age range.

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My daughter loved dancing along to the well-known songs (everything from Queen to Disney’s Moana, and a little Guns N’ Roses thrown in for the good measure, but with the words cleverly rewritten to fit the action on stage) while the husband appreciated the cheeky double entendres. My personal favourite involved a dig at 4x4 drivers and narrow Cornish lanes; I won’t spoil the punchline but it left those old enough to “get” it wide-eyed and open-mouthed in amusement.

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And there lies the beauty of this production. It really is quite naughty in places, but is done in such a way that children will be blissfully unaware of why their parents are shaking with laughter. Plenty of audience participation in act two helps prevent any restlessness amongst younger members. This is more a theatre show than a traditional panto, however, without a “he’s behind you” in sight, on no there wasn’t.

Running until December 31, a trip to the Hall for Cornwall to see Sleeping Beauty really needs to be on your Christmas calendar – in fact, make getting a ticket your density…dentistry….destiny!