Cinderella @ Thwaites Empire Theatre, Blackburn

9:25am Friday 28th December 2007

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I was a little apprehensive taking three generations of my family to see a pantomime.

It had been a long time since I'd been to see Babes in the Wood at the tender age of six, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

We had chosen Cinderella at the Thwaites Theatre, Ewood, Blackburn.

It's a small and intimate theatre, that stages a variety of performances from mediums to tributes, and lots in between, but one I hadn't visited before.

The youngest of my party was two, with the eldest being 60 years of age, so perhaps it was a tall order to expect us all to be entertained.

How wrong I was.

The show was fabulous, with the definite stars of the show being the Ugly Sisters, Flossie and Gert.

They were hilarious, and far from being booed at every appearance (as is traditional), were cheered at every occasion.

With a mixture of traditional and more modern songs (Shine from Take That being one), one of the highlights was It's Raining Men - when the Ugly Sisters called upon two unsuspecting dads from the audience to take part in the show.

Damian (you know who you are) I suspect will never live this down.

So dads beware, if Flossie takes a liking to you, there'll be no let up for the rest of the show...

With lots of local youngsters taking part in the dancing, the three blind mice, Thomas the cat, the good natured narrator Fairy Godmother (played by Radio Lancashire's Sally Naden), and strong performances from Buttons, Cinderella, Prince Charming and Dandini, the performance was a riot of music and colour and we enjoyed every minute.

The two-year-old clapped, danced and joined in, as did the four-year-old - even though the show lasted for close to two and a half hours!

The 60 year old also joined in with gusto.

As for the 39 year old, well, let's say roll on next year - I can't wait... oh yes I can... oh no I can't...

• Cinderella runs until Wednesday, January 2.