Do you like snow? Well, you can be sure of the real thing if you visit Chippy panto.

As Ma, her family, and their poodle Chipie set off to try to rescue Beauty from the Beast’s castle, real, wet snowflakes descend — not only on the intrepid rescue party but on the audience too. Sadly, Ma cannot afford proper snow boots. “Me oosband had a face like a bag of ferrets, and left us very poor,” we are pointedly informed in an accent which suggests that she comes from oop North.

Chippy pantos usually stick to a traditional storyline, and this one is no exception. New to the usual list of characters, however, is the aforementioned Chipie the poodle. “You’ve spelt it wrong,” I hear you cry, “Surely it should be Chippy the poodle?” No, no, it’s Chipie because that’s more authentic: “I am a ‘andsome, single, Fr’awnch poodle,” he tells us as he smooches us into shouting out, should we suspect that he’s about to get into any danger. Matt Pinches (right) is a star turn in the role.

Meanwhile, Ma (Billy Riddoch) is a comparatively genteel lady, in spite of the language she uses about her late husband. First seen atop a white horse, she has a touch of class about her. Certainly there’s no throwing of custard pies in her kitchen — to the regret of some audience members, perhaps. And, equally certainly, she’s more than a match for wicked witch Malabelle (Basienka Blake), who quickly homes in on the Prince (Rowan Talbot): “Don’t you think we were made for each other?” she suggests, flashing her eyes. “No,” replies the Prince concisely. Soon the Prince becomes a Beast whose heart is plainly in the right place, and who only briefly frightens winsome Beauty (Lotte Gilmore).

The sets and costumes (designers Russell Craig and Nell Knudsen) are ravishing. But what really sets this pantomime apart is the quality of Ben Crocker’s script and Sarah Travis’s music. Directed by John Terry, the story crackles along, and the dialogue sounds entirely natural — not often the case in panto. Travis, returning after some years away winning awards at the Newbury Watermill, provides a splendidly bouncy score: We All Remember the Glory Days is a real show-stopper. The cast is immaculately drilled, and if the acting was a little more confident than the singing on opening night, that will quickly change. Make no mistake: any theatre in the land would be proud to stage this top-quality show.

The Theatre, Chipping Norton, until January 8. Tickets: 01608 642350 (www.chippingnortontheatre.com).