Since the demise of the Bibby Club – the local group's home for 30 years – weekly meetings have been held at Stone Cricket Club in Priory Road, Stone, and it is there where rehearsals for Stone Little Theatre’s 31st annual pantomime are now in full swing.

Aladdin & His Wonderful Lamp will be staged at Walton Priory Middle School during half term week from Wednesday 17th to Saturday 20th February and the pantomime promises to be the best ever with a brand new script from local author, Alan P Frayn.

The pantomime is a new version of the traditional story and is packed full of fun, frolics, fabulous costumes, great music, mystical magic and dazzling dance. One of the new twists sees Abanazar capture Princess Mandarin and whisk her off to Egypt with Aladdin in hot pursuit, a sequence played totally in ultraviolet light.

Chris Bell, Director and Co-Founder of the group, believes that UV lighting adds a new dimension to the show. "UV light allows the magic carpets to fly and snakes to slither around the stage. It really is a spectacular scene."

With an abundance of jokes and laughter provided by policemen, Yu-Dun-Wong and Hu-Dun-Pong, who by the very nature of their names, often get themselves in a total muddle, the show covers everything from comedy and excitement to shock and awe - not least the opening of Widow Twankey's take-away - 'Wash & Nosh' - to supplement her income as a laundrywoman.

“We’re so lucky to have both a new home and a new venue,” comments Chris Bell. “Despite all our efforts to keep the Bibby Club open, its demise was sadly inevitable and we thought at that time that it would also be the end of Stone Little Theatre. Now we have a new lease of life which is great news, especially for our younger members for whom we can now continue to build a legacy for the future.”