I’M going to come clean and admit that I actually thought this year’s Opera House panto was Beauty And The Beast. Let’s just blame my middle-aged brain for that one.

About 10 minutes in, with no sign of the Beast, and plenty of references to a spinning wheel, the penny dropped for me, not that it mattered one single bit.

At that stage my sleeves were rolled up, I was already in full ‘clap-along-mode’, and in the throes of roaring ‘boo’ at almost anything that moved, so the title was almost irrelevant!

Sure, all a good panto needs are the goodies, baddies, plenty of slapstick local humour, great music and dance routines, and an audience prepared to leave their worries at the door and roll with it, and you’re on a winner … and Sleeping Beauty ticks all these boxes, and more.

This is the first year of unrestricted audiences, post pandemic and, crammed in shoulder-to-shoulder, the enthusiasm in the Opera House air was palpable - and we were more than rewarded by performances from some of the industry’s best. Directed by Trevor Ryan, this year is his 30th panto as an actor, director or writer, and that experience shows.

He co-wrote Sleeping Beauty with Frank Mackey who for me is the star of the show, Nanny Nellie. It is Frank’s 15th year with the Cork Opera House production, his 20th year of panto, and his ninth with Trevor. Together, they’ve got it sussed, they know what works, and what doesn’t, including how many ‘durty eejits’ the audience can take (answer: we can never get enough!).

They delivered a pacy, punchy script that needed little frippery or gimmicks, but was all about traditional panto at its very best.

The cast comprises Chloe Riordan (Princess Aurora); Eamonn Walsh (Prince Sebastian); Shirley McCarthy; (Maleficent, and she’s magnificent); Michael Grennell (King Cedric) and Kevin Twomey (Chester the Jester).

They’re all top class, but hats off to Chester, whose enthusiasm even got this creaky-kneed adult out of her seat for a dance routine, which is no mean achievement!

Also worth special mention are the incredible dance routines, which to my eye wouldn’t look out of place on Broadway. As my six-year-old said, they were ‘mind blowing!’ Choreographer is Ciarán Connolly (no relation!), most recently associate choreographer on the Spice World Reunion Tour 2019 - and you can tell.

The music was a brilliantly blended choice from the absurd to the unexpected, including Paul McCartney’s We All Stand Together; Elvis’s Viva Las Vegas, Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill and TikTok favourite, Made You Look. I think I even remember a bit of the Hucklebuck at one stage!

Sticking with an old panto tradition, the main cast enjoyed a chase through the auditorium, to the delight of the smallies (and oldies), before the storyline was neatly wrapped up when the baddie was shoved into a closet in time for the princess to kiss the frog, and a final ‘durty eejit’ for the road.

It’s quite something to think the cast and crew have to do it all over again, and again, until January 23, making each and every audience feel as special as the first. And they will.

Some of my best and most vivid childhood memories are of the annual excursion to the Opera House panto, and I’m delighted that tradition lives on. As we danced and sang our way back to the car park, full of the joys of life, I felt huge gratitude to everyone involved - we’re already looking forward to next year.

Who knows, it might be Beauty And The Beast?

Sleeping Beauty runs at Cork Opera House until January 22, 2 pm & 7 pm (Tuesday - Saturday) and 1 pm & 6pm (Sundays); €30, €35.50 & €37.50. Family Pass €100 - €135, early bird offers available.