STOURBRIDGE Pantomime Company set the bar high with lavish productions relying on talented performers and slick technical effects.

Their 2011 production of Beauty and the Beast at Stourbridge Town Hall had a lot to like but also one or two moments which fell short of the 110 per cent they usually deliver.

The show, on Sunday January 23, got under way in front of a packed house at 6.15pm to tell the tale of a merchant’s daughter and her love for the handsome prince.

The romance seems doomed when the prince is turned into the bad tempered beast by a jealous evil witch.

It all took a while to get going, characters need to be introduced but the story seemed to dwell too long over early scenes in the merchant’s department store and, unusually for the Panto Company, the sound was not clearly mixed, singing on stage was sometimes hard to hear.

The sets seemed to contain fewer props and visual effects than in previous years although the costumes were spectacular - the Beast was especially impressive while Dave Jones was resplendent as dame Lucy Lastic.

The chorus was outstanding, younger performers were well organised and dancers strictly choreographed to produce professional results with even Flash Lightning the horse seeming to know all the right moves.

The slapstick comedy routine, normally a highlight for the company, was less chaotic and clever than usual and delivered in a slightly understated manner.

For a show which lasted two-and-a-half hours we spent surprisingly little time seeing how the Beast won the leading lady’s heart.

It seemed a quick trip to the library did the trick before Beauty was let out to be led astray by her wonderfully well-played horrid sisters.

In a way the company is a victim of its own success, if you are always excellent people expect excellence every time - which is a tough ask for any type of performer, amateur or professional.

Sunday’s show was an early performance in a week-long run and it still delivered a night of great family entertainment with just a couple of teething troubles which will have been cured by now.

Beauty and The Beast by Stourbridge Pantomime Company runs until Saturday January 29 at Stourbridge Town Hall.