Having gone to a good deal of trouble to steal a great deal of treasure, you’d think that Mustafa Leikh (say the name out loud to get the full effect) and his band of thieves would keep the plunder safe. But no: security at the storage cave is lax, and Ali Baba is able to spirit choice items away. “Anything I have is yours,” he says fairly magnanimously to those around him, “Except these two 50-dinar pieces”.

“But I want one of them,” a small person promptly called out from behind me — the Chippy panto audience is never slow to react. But Ali Baba (Craig Rhys Barlow) holds firm. He needs money to buy the freedom of his sweetheart, slave girl Safiya (Suzanne Ahmet), and there are others only too willing to relieve him of the loot — grasping Sharon for instance. Sharon (Kali Peacock), attired in an alarming shade of virulent pink, is described as “a Lady Muck daughter-in-law”. She forces Ali to take her servant Cassim (Sam Kordbacheh) to the cave. But Cassim is caught by the returning thieves, and punishment is swift — he gets chopped into little pieces. Don’t worry though: he does get sewn back together again later, to the accompaniment of one of the show’s best musical numbers.

Meanwhile, exuberantly dressed Mum Baba (Shaun Hennessy, whose disgruntled looks to the audience reminded me of Les Dawson) sets up in the kebab business — cue a splendidly messy kitchen scene. Vegetarians will be glad to know that assorted rabbits, destined for the skewer, escape with the greatest of ease. Mum Baba also has more sense than to try and capture the resident camel — a grand beast, who fully upholds the camel’s reputation for possessing an explosive rear end, much to the delight of the small audience members around me.

Ali Baba has been produced by the same team (writer Ben Crocker, composer Sarah Travis, director John Terry) as last year’s top-notch Beauty and the Beast. As usual with the Chippy panto, the storyline keeps going at a good pace, and the songs are cleverly integrated into the action. The boogie number The Piano, it’s a Wonder to Behold, in particular, deserves a life beyond this show, and for grandparents in the audience, there’s a wonderful Wilson, Keppel and Betty-style sand dance.

In the end Mustapha (Middleton Mann) gets his comeuppance, and audiences will, I am sure, go home happy. This vibrantly performed show is another Chippy triumph.

Until January 7. For tickets go to www.chippingnortontheatre.com or call 01608 642350.