For many people across east Suffolk the start of the New Wolsey's Rock n Roll Panto heralds the start of the Christmas season in Ipswich - and this year's production won't disappoint!

Sleeping Beauty is a vibrantly-colourful energetic powerhouse of two hours of music and laughter that the audience laps up.

For anyone who hasn't been to a rock 'n' roll panto, it's rather different from a traditional show in that all the actors double-up as musicians to provide the music during the show.

And most of the actors play more than one role - although it really doesn't take the audience long to understand what is going on in the show.

Max Gallagher as ThornicaMax Gallagher as Thornica (Image: Will Green Photography)

In this year's show the pillars that hold it all together are the two dames - Craig Anderson as kindly Rosie and Max Gallagher as evil sister Thornica who casts the spell that leads to Princess Aurora's 100-year-long sleep.

Princess Aurora and Milo the dragon share number.Princess Aurora and Milo the dragon share number. (Image: Will Green Photography)

Mya Fox-Scott is a delightful Princess - but in this version of the story the relationship with Milo the Dragon, played by Laura Gomez Gracia is more central than that with Prince Toby - played by Alexander Zane.

The music is absolutely central to the panto with numbers from  the Monkees to Guns n Roses via Peter Andre and Coldplay!

The audience was laughing from start to finish at the show even though I suspect that writer Vikki Stone had been collecting cracker jokes for years before finishing her script - but that's what panto is all about after all.

There were a couple of times where I thought the production might tighten up a bit during the run - the slapstick kitchen scene in the first act and the audience participation inflatable sword section after the break.

But overall Sleeping Beauty is tremendous entertainment and a great way to get the Christmas season well and truly started in Ipswich.