I love a pantomime. Oh yes I do.

We drove down to Sussex last weekend to see Rob and Alessa, our son and soon to be daughter in law. As always, it was great to see them but there was a special reason for this visit. They were performing in a pantomime.

The village they live in has a thriving amateur dramatic society and this year’s performance was “Sleeping Beauty”. Rob and Alessa played the romantic leads and both were real stars. I can even forgive Rob’s dodgy Welsh accent because both their acting and singing were outstanding.

I love to watch an amateur pantomime. Why was it at the end of January? Because everyone is busy coming up to Christmas. Does an occasional mistake matter? No, in a pantomime mistakes make it even better. For instance when the curtains opened towards the end of the last act to show the bed in the tower where Sleeping Beauty was meant to be lying, there was no princess! The curtains swiftly closed and opened again and there she was, ready for her prince to kiss and wake her from a hundred year slumber.

There was a colourful dame, an over the top evil fairy, and audience participation with Mandy being dragged on stage. It was just such a good evening.

So what have I learnt? That community matters. That enthusiasm can get you a very long way. And that things don’t have to be perfect to be perfect. I’d even be tempted to join a troupe myself if we weren’t away so much.

Thanks Robbie. Thanks Alessa. We had a wonderful time.