A delightful blend of circus, pantomime and music, The Snow Gorilla is sure to delight families over the festive season.

With her circus struggling to pull in the crowds, Fanny Merigny (Joanne Heywood) introduces the audience to her stunning line-up of performers.

Prepare to be astonished by the African acrobats and captivated by the contortionist, as the show really pulls out all the stops when it comes to the circus acts.

The - relatively light - plot follows orphan Sunny (Ciaran Joyce) who ran away from home to join the circus.

There he meets Chloe (Lucy Hope-Borne), and it is love at first sight.

But while working at the circus, Sunny makes an even bigger discovery in the shape of Gor the snow gorilla, voiced by Brian Blessed.

At times, you feel as though you are watching a circus performance with the plotline crow-barred in, but for the target audience I doubt it matters.

Children will love the glamour and the glitz as well as the chance to boo and heckle the ever-cackling bad guy Erick (Nicholas Maude).

Parents will appreciate the talent of the performers and the softness Blessed’s voice brings to Gor.

The Snow Gorilla is something different for all the family this Christmas, although I would advise only bringing children old enough to realise where they are.

And credit to the actors for not batting an eyelid at the screaming and wailing babies in the auditorium.

The Snow Gorilla runs at the Rose Theatre in Kingston until January 5, visit rosetheatrekingston.org for ticket and performance details.