It is that time of the year again. Oh, no it isn’t. Oh, yes it is.

Panto time, that is and the usual musical frisky festive frolic is on offer at Theatr Clwyd in Mold, which this year is presenting Aladdin and the magic lamp saga.

Dubbed the "wok n’ roll" panto because of its Chinese backdrop, although it could also be Istanbul as there are sultans and, of course, a genie, along with the emperor from Peking, mentions of dragons and lads and lasses kitted out in a variety of exotic costumes that hail from either the Middle Kingdom or Arabia.

The show moves at a cracking pace and with most of the cast also doubling up as musicians has a party feel with all the performers oozing enthusiasm and expending bundles of energy dashing hither and thither.

Panto is, of course, slapstick and burlesque writ large, and Sean McKenzie’s Widow Twankey is the epitome of a rollicking, bawdy dame, his boisterous bustling and the "confidential" asides to the adults in the audience forge a complicity in the hijinks that see Henry Roadnight’s pleasantly agreeable Wishee Washee caught up in pranks and high jinks.

The tale needs no retelling but adopts the pace and wackiness that could compare to an old Brian Rix farce, with the occasional dud joke, misplaced line and unexpected on stage incidents such as Rowan Talbot’s haughty emperor suddenly finding his superb flowing moustache nearly falling off. If this is not part of the script it should be.

Written once again by Peter Rowe the sketches are often hilarious, although an hour-and-a-half for the first act is a tad too long, certainly for the wee ones in the audience.

Indeed, a bit of prudent cutting overall might benefit as a panto outing that stretches to almost three hours is verging on the overwhelming, even for grown ups.

Musically it shifts along at a fair pace, featuring a host of songs – although several are a shade spun out and not that relevant – and the finale’s ‘stand up and singalong’ certainly had the youngsters and adults throughout the auditorium bopping along in with gusto.

Everyone also relished the antics of Abanazer, the villain of the piece played by Toby Lord.

He is, without doubt, a corking scoundrel and is a natural for this part, his swaggering, twinkle-eyed, teeth flashing take on the role is terrific; a perennial panto villain has arisen.

This is indeed another worthy Christmas production at Theatr Clwyd, although while acknowledging that panto performance generally tends to incorporate – for some baffling reason – elements of vulgarity, and without sounding too censorious, there is perhaps here an over abundance of innuendo drifting into crudity that seems unnecessary in a family show.

Aladdin at Theatr Clwyd, until January 21, 2017.

Matinees at 2pm, evening at 7pm.

Concessions available.

Box Office: 01352 701 521.