HERE we go again with, as its star Berwick Kaler (Widow Twankey) states tongue-incheek at the outset, “the show that will never replace entertainment”.

In his 35th year as dame, he gives audiences pantomime, but not as they know it – traditional, with a twist.

The question regulars ask of the Theatre Royal show is not “is it any good?” – because you know it will always be of a very high standard – but “is it as good as last year’s?”.

This Aladdin may very well be, but it needs editing. Perhaps it is churlish to complain that there is too much in it. It takes an age (80 minutes at the Saturday matinee) to reach the interval, although an awesome piece of theatrical magic leaves the audience on a high. Co-directors Kaler (who also writes) and Damian Cruden still need to trim the production.

The story is as familiar as many of the faces in the company, several of whom have been plucked from the chorus over the years and reached star status.

Canadian Al Braatz is one of them, this year giving his heroic Aladdin Twankey – whose identical twin brother Mankee Twankee gives Kaler sidekick Martin Barrass one of two roles. The other is the ancient Wisehopper, who moves as fast as York rush hour traffic.

Suzy Cooper suffers the usual jokes about her age, before being cut down to size as Princess Peke-a-boo. Jonathan Race makes a perfectly beastly Abanazar, but adds no quirks or flourishes to make him stand out from any other baddie.

Sian Howard’s Empress Of All China is given too little to do, unlike the man with the best legs in the show – AJ Powell, whose Brummie accent has caused much amusement in the past. This time, he’s not only Genie of the Bling, but great as Superfly, Gladiator Russell Crowe and the Karate Kid, among others.

Sets and costumes (Phil R Daniels and Charles Cusick Smith) are fabulous, and so is the main film sequence – a barnstorming musical number, We Are Yorkie! filmed around and singing the praises of the city of York.