When the curtain rose on the opening night of Peter Pan at Brighton's Theatre Royal, it revealed a magical world.

The music, the dazzling costumes and atmospheric lights were enough to keep the audience spellbound throughout the two-hour show.

However, earlier this week, the theatre was a very different place as costumes were adjusted, lines refreshed and scenery checked in the rush to ensure a perfect opening.

Stage manager Roy Roe and company manager Steve Merry shouted directions while a sewing machine was brought on stage to stitch a hole the size of a door in a rented flysheet.

Peter Pan is one of the most difficult pantomimes to put on, largely because of the number of flying scenes, which involve complicated wires and harnesses, which do not fit easily into a 200-year-old theatre.

Nestling in a corner is a dummy dressed as the fearsome Captain Hook, ready to be used in the final scene when the villain, played by Tony Adams, is killed by the crocodile.

The cast has had less than two weeks to rehearse the show from scratch, including learning dances and extensive line changes.

On opening night, the air was crackling with nerves.

Anna Kumble, also known as pop singer Lolly, who plays skating fairy Tinkerbell, said: "I am a bit apprehensive because I worry about everyone else. I especially worry about the kids and whether they know what they are supposed to be doing.

"The worst thing for myself is I get the giggles and there are so many people in the cast who make me laugh, like JoAnne Good, who is just hilarious."

Anna's biggest concern is nothing goes wrong in the flying scenes.

She said: "There is one scene in which the boys who play John and Michael are on wires ready to fly and I am supposed to hold them back until the right time but yesterday they were pulling me forward and I was bending over.

"It is difficult because while I am doing that, I am on skates and on a rake that makes it hard to stay still.

"It can be quite complicated with four people flying. The other day, someone put them on the wrong wires and I almost got my head twisted off."

Michaela Strachan, who plays Peter Pan, brought two crates of lager as a treat for the crew.

The television presenter, best known for her work on the Really Wild Show, was feeling relatively relaxed about the show.

She said: "For me, this part is a bit like putting on a comfy old pair of slippers, except for the harness, which is a new one and is extremely uncomfortable. We do suffer for our art.

"That is the bit I get nervous about because when you are flying you depend on other people. I have one guy to haul me up and another to move me across the stage.

"If the scenery is in the wrong place by only an inch or so, I might hit something I'm not supposed to."

The main children's parts, those of John and Michael, are played by two sets of children from Sussex, who alternate in the part.

There are 16 other youngsters who play Peter Pan's band of "lost boys".

They are looked after by chaperones Jenny Slack, mother of Oliver Slack who plays Michael, and Jo Stringer, whose son Jonathan plays John.

This week's rehearsals paid off as the opening night on Thursday proved a huge hit.

Peter Pan runs at the venue in New Road until January 20.