Professional actor at Coventry theatre’s opening night

FILM and television actor Ron Cook, and the Lord Mayor of Coventry, Keiran Mulhall, attended the premier of Arabian Nights, the rich tapestry of a production that celebrated 50 years of Coventry’s Criterion Theatre.

Ron - who is now a patron of the amateur company with the big reputation - remembered taking two buses from his childhood home in Wyken to take some of his first steps on the Criterion stage. He paid tribute to the encouragement he received from directors there and from his old drama teacher, Geoff Bennett, during his days at Caludon Castle School.

Arabian Nights itself is a colourful ensemble piece with Egyptian belly dancers of various shapes, lithesome princess, wicked sisters and some expertly handled puppets.

Rebecca Fenlon was superb as Shahrazad, who must tell 1001 enchanting tales to save her life although, I must admit, during the long first half it did feel like we’d heard rather a lot of them.

Some good, others less so, but most offering glimpses into the roots of many of our present day tales including Ali Baba - and a character called Es-Sindibad.

These are not necessarily tales for children – though those aged ten upwards should enjoy them provided they can sit still for long enough.

It looked like nearly everyone from the Criterion was on stage at some point and there were just too many high-notes to chose from.

From those I recognised I did love Gennie Holmes’ French chef , Anne-Marie Greene’s various appearances and Pete Meredith’s dog...or was that someone else? Hard to say with so much going on.

Verdict: This is a a feast for the eyes, if a trifle long.

Barbara Goulden