Cinderella

There is a puff of smoke, and there she is, transformed entirely from the waif in the raggedy dress, to a princess bedizened, to quote from Synge, "in the diamond jewelleries of Pharoah's Ma". A carriage like a little cage of lights appears with two real Shetland ponies, and suddenly she shall go to the ball.

Cinderella is the most wonderful of all pantos, and what a superb fairy story it is, with its ritual of sexual selection and its dream of transformation. Though it had wonderful moments, however, this year's production, directed by Noel McDonough, didn't quite have the sparkle of the last Gaiety Cinderella, directed by Mavis Ascott.

June Rodgers has enough power and presence to carry the whole show - imagine her advancing towards you in shimmering custard yellow roaring: "I want a man!" and you will get the picture. But there just wasn't the acting strength in the rest of the cast to carry it.

Claudia Carroll and Hilda Fay played the Ugly Sisters as skinny, social-climbing Stillorgan matrons, and while both, and particularly Fay, were convincing, the ghoulishness could have been laid on much more thickly.

The Carter Twins, who had a cameo role last year, were cast as the Prince and Dandini, which was a woeful mistake: two fine men entirely, and grand singers, but their acting talent seemed sadly stretched, on this showing.

It has to be said, however, that Ingrid Magee's panto debut as Cinderella is an auspicious one - not only is she very pretty, she can sing. But we are used to strong players in mainstream theatre, such as Raymond Keane and Pat Kinevane, fleshing out the panto cast.

The sets, for which there is no credit because they are imported (but they are "co-ordinated" by Blaithin Sheerin and Barbara Bradshaw) are not the splendid ones there usually are - a fact which is very clear in the less-than-magnificent finale.

None of this matters even slightly to the children, of course, and a night at the Gaiety panto is still every Dublin child's rightful portion of Christmas magic - they will love every minute of it.

Runs until February 7th. To book phone 01-6771717.