IT comes to something when an ugly gnome and a cat steal the show.

But that was what happened in the annual production by the Abergavenny Pantomime Company, the oldest in Wales. There was a full house for the opening night but even the adults were fidgetting by the end of a very long first act.

Stars of the show were young Zac Williams in the title role and Louise Morgan as Tinsel the cat. Popular principal boy and girl, Molly Brickley Clark and Chelsea Viveash complemented each other beautifully, particularly in their duet Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now.

For the first time Alex Williams joined panto clown Stephen Clark in a very funny double act as two gormless soldiers while the evergreen Dame (Ken Jones) had his own moments of hysteria with partner Mr Carbuncle (Joe Pugh). They made an unlikely couple but their version of Fat Bottomed Girls was a highlight.

As always the chorus and dancers provided some of the best moments, especially It's a Good Day and Ghostbusters. Excellent cameo roles came from Coral (Andrea Marfell) and Spangle (Zach Clee), Duracell the cat (Cara Newsam), King Jade (Peter Holder) and the genie (Abbi Rand), not forgetting the pantomime cow, complete with flashing green eyes. Marvellous costumes, fantastic singing, the show runs all week with matinees Friday and Saturday.