Berwick Kaler's silver jubilee as the Theatre Royal dame is not the only significant theatre anniversary in York this pantomime season. Eileen Lavender is celebrating her fiftieth year, and the evergreen director's golden anniversary production opened last night to a pleasingly busy house.

The Rowntree Players pantomime is a truly traditional community pantomime, with its principal cast as well established in specialist roles as the Theatre Royal team, yet still with room for new names to join the party, such as Geoffrey Harrison's Alderman Fitzwarren.

In last night's Evening Press you may have read Stephen Lewis's account of his initiation into the Berwick Kaler dame academy, with its list of eight top tips on how to play this Mother Earth role. The Players' dame, Graham Bilton, could put a tick by all eight, and by an extra category in the dame manual, namely comic timing.

His playing of Sarah the Cook - ruddy of cheek, in need of a fashion makeover from Trinny and Susannah - is full of pathos, mock shock and motherly fluster and concern. He has one of those comic faces, like Kaler or Les Dawson, where the years are etched like the rings in a tree.

Last year's new comic partnership of Rowntree regular Andy Love and freshman Graham Smith instantly bonded with their classical combin-ation of the big, preening, bossy know-all (Love) and the smaller, put-upon dimwit (Smith). It worked for Laurel & Hardy and it sure works for Love & Smith's Captain Port and First Mate Starboard.

Principal boy Mieke Jackson's legs have been the eighth wonder of the York pantomime world for six seasons now, and this year even Sarah the Cook can't resist commenting on their loveliness.

Rather more than legs seemed to catch the eye of musical director David Spencer from the pit when Jeanette Hunter's Idle Jack swapped crazy-coloured trousers for a wooden barrel. Mr Spencer was duly teased mercilessly about his roving eye. Jeanette, normally so good at audience participation, was slow off the mark in the first half but bounced back to her cheeky best.

For the principal girl role, Rowntree Players has mirrored commercial panto's use of Home And Away and Neighbours soap talent by employing their very own glamorous Aussie, Sarah Davis, as Alice Fitzwarren.

Robert Readman gets his thespian teeth stuck into the irascible, vainglorious King Rat; Olivia Hollingsworth is a purrfect Tommy The Cat; and the ensemble, junior chorus and Isobel Dunn Dancers give sterling support. Lavender in full bloom, you could say.

Dick Whittington, Rowntree Players, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, until Saturday. Box office: 01904 623568.

Updated: 09:37 Wednesday, December 10, 2003