★★★☆☆ Hanging off this Dahl-like story is a sentimental sub-plot about the loveless life of inventor and widower, Caractacus Potts (Jason Manford), whose children are keen to get him set up with a surrogate mum in the shape of Truly Scrumptious (another Fleming named female along lines of Pussy Galore and Kissy Suzuki).

There’s a bit of a fad amongst chefs for ‘deconstructing’ old favourite recipes. Thus you might find yourself eating a bit of crumbly something or other with something lemony and another item of creamy stuff all going under the name of ‘cheesecake’. Eric Potts, in writing a version of Cinderella that can accommodate the extraordinary and much loved talents of Torvill and Dean has done something similar for pantomime. This panto gently nudges the boundaries of the tradition and in doing so fills the theatre with all round family entertainment.

This show falls in a tradition of emotionally powerful, thematically northern based, working-class stories that deliver more than they seem to offer. A little lad struggles to overcome the deep-seated prejudices of his coal mining community to get himself accepted as a dancer . . . everything a good musical should be: it has something to say and does it whilst moving us with the human struggle to be oneself against all the odds.

First of all I must state that I am a great fan of Welsh National Opera. I look forward to all their shows and I would rate them second only to Covent Garden. I think they are original, daring and innovative so I was very curious to see how they would work outside their, if not comfort zone, then certainly their usual pastures. It seemed an odd choice for a top quality international opera company to do an old Cole Porter Broadway musical.