AS one of the most tone-deaf and musically inept men in Yorkshire it does not take much to impress me at the theatre.
Anyone with the ability to pick up a guitar and sing at the same time has me nodding with approval, so a pantomime where the entire cast sings, dances, acts and plays the music, is a win-win.
The hilarious show at Leeds City Varieties is dubbed The Rock 'n' Roll panto, with a team of multi-talented performers who have put their own spin on Dick Whittington for 2014.
Leading man Tom Milner, of Waterloo Road fame, plays Dick, a handsome, loveable heartthrob from Leeds who takes on David Heywood's evil King Rat as he threatens to take over London.
Dick has to juggle the challenge of saving the capital from a giant rat infestation with winning the love interest of damsel in distress Alice Fitzwarren, played by the excellent Liz Singleton.
The panto comes to life during the songs, which are all sing-a-long favourites, and include classics like Meatloaf's Dead Ringer For Love, You Really Got Me by The Kinks and Marvin Gaye's Ain't No Mountain High Enough.
It was a non-stop, enjoyable ride from start to finish for the audience as well as the actors, who would sing one song then complete a seamless changeover as they rushed to the back of the stage to take up their positions on guitar, drums, saxophone or keyboard.
The audience was packed with families and children on school trips but the show will keep mums and dads entertained with their selection of songs and thinly-veiled jokes mainly based on Mr Whittington's first name.
Dame Sarah the Cook, played in true camp style by the superb Simon Nock, steals the show with his comedic performance, and judging by this performance, Liz Singleton is brilliant at everything she turns her hand to.
Dick Whittington, City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds, running until Sunday, January 11, 2015
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