AT the time of publication of this very worthy newspaper there are precisely just 30 days until the man with a long white beard and a bright red suit, loads his sleigh, gathers his reindeer, and sets about his long and speedy intercontinental journey. Yes the “big day” will be upon us in no time!

This is an important time in the Christian calendar, and also a period with many old traditions and customs. Some of these date back hundreds of years, others more modern and have somehow become linked with Christmas, although they didn’t necessarily start out associated with any particular season.

One such tradition is of course Pantomime. Check it out on Wikipedia and you’ll find this tradition has appeared from a number of theatrical styles.

I won’t paste and copy the detail for you here, but The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane seems to have played a big hand in this, with its presentations of classical stories, embellished with popular songs and dance. And that was more than 200 years ago!

This year to see a Panto in London’s West End you would have to head for the London Palladium for “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”.

Perhaps in the title of this Panto there is a clue to it’s seat prices, especially the word gold! They range from £27 per person in the upper balcony to £179.40 per person in the front stalls. (Why the extra 40p I wonder?)

In other words it could cost a family of four £717.60 just to sit reasonably near the stage to see the show! Ouch!

BUT FEAR NOT… A family of four can sit very near the stage, if not practically on it, in the Crediton Old Town Hall to see CODS production of “Aladdin and his Magical Lamp” for a fraction of that price.

Two adults and two children? That’ll be the princely total of £30! Yes that’s correct, that’s for all four in the family, and in addition there are some treats for the children AND the adults thrown in.

Put simply it’s a bargain, and you won’t have to pay a congestion charge, or rail fare or overnight stay.

The great thing about Pantomime is that everyone knows the story. Everyone knows it will have an improbable twist, some unusual casting, and of course, a happy ending.

Everyone knows they will be calling out “He’s behind you” “Oh yes it is” “Oh no it isn’t”. It has to be done, it’s all part of the fun. It’s standard practice that, whatever the title of the story, there seem to be a number of common themes that pop up every time.

Oh, and speaking of “Pop Up”, look out for him during the show, you won’t miss him, even though his stage name is changed in keeping with the story.

The cast, wardrobe and set team have been working very hard to get the show ready. Because it has been a short run-up to the opening night the cast has been rehearsing three days-a-week.

The show is Directed by our very own Holly Harris, with musical assistance from Mike Canning.

We are very pleased to report that our cast has a good number of younger members of CODS performing the songs and the dances, and taking some leading roles. They are also involved with the staging of the production.

Needless to say a few of the “old stagers” are there as well, oh yes they are! Well, it wouldn’t be the same without them would it? It’s funny how they really like dressing up and overacting! (But don’t tell them I said that).

There will be more detail and improbable commentary next week, but in the meantime why not earmark an evening and get your tickets sorted.

They are on sale in Olivia James in the High Street from Tuesdays to Saturdays. You can also use CODS online booking at: codsonline.com .

Just click the Box Office button. The matinee is almost sold out and the evening performances are filling up very quickly, so don’t leave your purchase too late.

CODS production of “Aladdin and his Magical Lamp” opens on Wednesday, December 18 and runs until Saturday, December 21.

Evening performances start at 7pm and a matinee performance on the Saturday begins at 2pm.

Mike Palmer