It's best to confront the things you are afraid of, and for my two lads there was nothing scarier than King Rat in Dick Whittington at the Oxford Playhouse. The panto season is now well under way, and we persuaded the boys, aged three and six, to take their seats in the circle for one of the earliest matine performances.

King Atticus Ratticus, played by William Kenning, had no trouble scaring the youngsters in the audience. Bathed in a ghastly green spotlight, and sporting ghoulish facepaint, he popped out of the wings at regular intervals, muttering nasty threats to young Dick. But he showed his fun side in one of the highlights of the first half, when he belted out a version of Queen's Don't Stop Me Now, using his tail for air guitar. A very silly rendition of Twelve Days of Christmas also prompted lots of laughs.

Donna Hazleton, one of the winners of Channel 4's Musicality show, was taking part in her very first panto, but she looked confident as Fairy Port Meadow, and the show benefited from her strong singing voice.

Joe Allen, as Tommy the Cat, immediately struck up a rapport with the young audience with his streetwise lingo, and soon had the crowd shouting "Yo, Tommy!"

Raj Ghatak, who recently appeared in the hit movie Starter for Ten, was still finding his dancing feet in the starring role as Dick. But he was perfectly cast as the love interest with Charlotte Warren as Alice, and was clearly going to gain confidence in the dance routines in the coming weeks.

Simon Green, as Dame Sarah the Cook, looked as if he was really enjoying himself, sprinkling his speeches with topical references about the Headington roundabout and Oxford United. David Cardy was entertaining as Alderman Fitzwarren, but the Darth Vader voice he employed as Neptune left him with little to do, and his Sultan of Morocco could have been more unpleasant.

Director Peter Duncan and writer Phil Willmott have created a thoroughly entertaining production of children's entertainment, with brightly coloured stage sets and crisp musical accompaniment, packed with familiar sing-along songs such as Always Look On The Bright Side of Life. They perhaps need to speed up the pace a little in the second half, as the plot takes a couple of twists and turns before arriving back in London for the finale.

Well done to youngsters from local stage schools who took part. For many of them, it was their first oppportunity to work with professional actors, and they certainly didn't look out of place.

Dick Whittington: The Panto! is at the Oxford Playhouse until Sunday, January 14. For bookings, telephone 01865 305305.