Hansel and Gretel

The timeless children's story of Hansel and Gretel isn't exactly a bunch of laughs.

Repeatedly abandoned by their parents, a resourceful brother and sister seek refuge in a cottage in the woods only to be trapped by a particularly twisted witch. It's like Texas Chain Saw Massacre with gingerbread and candy canes.

Phil Porter's pantomime version, staged this Christmas by Dundee Rep, certainly has its scary moments - the eyebrows of the bald, blind witch deserve their own credit in the programme - but it's also chock full of gross-out comedy, silly songs and audience participation.

The witch's house turns out to be a well-equipped sweetie factory, and Colin Richmond's set incorporates a fully-functioning pumping, stirring and whipping machine. Some wonderful costumes reflect the confectionery theme, including that of a kind-hearted sweetie maker named Strawberry Tart, who is kitted out exactly like her namesake treat right down to a foil tray skirt and whipped cream hairdo.

Early on, the comedy and songs lack a certain pizzazz, with the usually excellent Robert Paterson allowing some sloppy hiccups in his solo scenes as the children's father. In the second half, however, things really pick up, and although the last-gasp doubling of the step-mother and witch characters is a little confusing, the satisfaction of eating her/them in sweetie form should more than compensate.