Markham Players perform Puss In Boots pantomime at Dunham on Trent and East Markham

Markham Players returned to action with their pantomime, Puss In Boots.

Once the feline ­— played by Mary Dainton ­— had convinced his companions to get him his boots, he soon set about helping Billy ­— played by a confident new leading man, Rose Clifford ­— to navigate the choppy waters to a romantic reunion with his love.

Not long ago Elizabeth Thornton and her sister, Nellie, were playing minor parts, but the last few years have seen them develop into accomplished performers, and 2023 saw them playing the Princess Oreo and King Garibaldi respectively.

Oreo and Billy meet by chance and are instantly smitten, but both choose to conceal their true identities.

Inevitably there was a baddie to boo and hiss. On this occasion Mark Thornton, who has previously amused audiences with his over-the-top performances as a dame, transferred his skills to making Count Bacquad a fearsomely comic challenger to Billy for Oreo’s hand.

No baddie is complete without his bumbling henchmen and here two more of the familiar faces burst onto the scene. Bob Gale and Tony Bell have been delighting audiences for years and they have not lost their touch.

The baddies might have prevailed, but for Billy and Puss’ not-so-secret weapon ­— Aunt Delilah, dressed in magnificent dame costumes played with great enthusiasm by John Mitchell.

No baddie was a match for her and certainly no eligible man was safe as she determined to find her perfect match.

Delilah, Billy and the ever-resourceful Puss set about trying to rescue Oreo after she was imprisoned in his cellar by the ghastly Count Bacquard who was busy preparing a love potion to persuade her that he was the man of her dreams.

The poor King and Queen, played with gusto by another long-standing favourite, Kevan Micklethwaite, set forth with their faithful footman, played by newcomer Gordon Sims, to try to find their beloved daughter.

After the expected twists and turns, she was eventually saved when Puss and Count Bacquard faced each other in an unlikely sword fight for her.

Regular attenders at the Players’ pantos over the years were wondering at the absence of the irrepressible Greg Morrall. This year he had been unable to undertake a big part, but at the end was revealed to have been the cheeky ghost.

The audiences at both Dunham on Trent and East Markham welcomed back the Players with great enthusiasm and contributed generously to the raffles at each venue, which were in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and Bassetlaw Hospice.