[Sundae]

Okay

A little bit about The League of Gentlemen first, in case you tie them in with pantomime because of the rest of this post.

They’re a group of four writers, three of whom perform. They’ve had a radio series, three television series, two live shows, a film and three books. All very successful. During their first live show there was a point at which the audience started booing (the character Pauline) and Steve would turn to the audience and acknowledge them, saying, “What do you think this is, Dick fucking Whittington?!” (pantomime) which always got a big laugh. So when they came to do their second show, they went all out and put their characters into a panto setting. It fit perfectly, although theirs was darker, dirtier and more flamboyant than is strictly traditional (suicide, murder, pederasty, bestiality, buggery etc!)

But The League aside, yes I am a genuine fan of pantomime.

In this country, this means a specific type of performance. Not all of the elements I detail below are in every panto, but many of them are. You would certainly expect to see them if you went.

Pantomimes can be based on any number of children’s stories/ fairy tales. The most popular are Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin/ Ali Baba, Dick Whittington, Babes in the Wood. The stories are only loosely told, and are twisted either to cater to the specific talents of the stars, to fit in with the scenery/ props available (in amateur productions) and simply to fit in guest stars. For example I saw a poster for a panto a couple of years back which guest starred Spiderman. It was the year the film came out. No idea how they shoe horned him in, but you can bet it was just a few minutes onstage.

Big groups of children often go, and the person in charge of the group will let the theatre know, so that they can be name checked from the stage. I can’t tell you how much of a thrill it is the hear Widow Twanky say something like, “I’ve got so much washing to do! I was hoping for some help from the 9th Aylesbury Brownies, but they haven’t turned up!” at which point you shout and wave and cheer.

The principal boy (ostensibly the male lead) always used to be played by a woman. She’d have stacked heels, very short cut, fitted costume and fishnet tights. There was very little kissing in panto (urgh! Kissing!) so as kids we never thought there was anything weird. It’s less common now, as male actors tend to want their names higher up on the cast list, and the amount of ex soap stars we have means there aren’t enough roles to go round.

The Dame (different roles depending on the panto but always known as the pantomime dame) is played by an older man. If he is a slim man he will be padded – the Dame always looks like a galleon in full sail! Her costume will be as ornate as the budget allows, although at some point she will always call on the audience’s sympathy because she is always poor and is convinced she is dressed in rags.

There is almost always a person in animal costume. This is usually the principal boy’s sidekick (probably started with Dick Whittington and was borrowed because it worked). If this isn’t the case, there will be a section where local children come on dressed as animals. I remember cracking up one year at the Oxford Playhouse because my bf and I couldn’t work out what one of the kids was. The costume was just weird. In the end he decided it was an armadillo, which made me laugh even more. He kept shouting things like, “Bring back the armadillo!” and gave the kids a standing ovation during their curtain call, specifically for the armadillo. I left there quite weak from laughter.

Anyway. There is always a baddie. Usually male but can be female depending on the story. They are booed and hissed by the audience, but it is almost always the best role. They will be irredeemably bad, although they often have comic bumbling sidekicks, who they camply reprimand. They can really scare younger children! They often abuse the audience. The baddie will often do magic, or at least have a pyro effect on his entrance. Trap doors, smoke and creeping in through the audience are his hallmarks. By these shall ye know him!

Audience participation is a big part of panto. The standards are to cheer the successes of the goodies, especially the comedy characters, who often win out over the baddies’ henchman by chance. You boo and hiss the baddies, making thumbs down gestures. They will turn and hiss and boo and mimic you in return. There are standard responses to some questions. If asked what you think of the show, you shout back, “Rubbish!” If a character asks where another character is, the response is, “Behind you!” There is obviously a visual clue to this! The set piece is the character looking over their right shoulder while the other person ducks left and so on.

If a character is making grandiose claims, it sparks a dialogue, “I am the most beautiful woman in the whole of the kingdom.”
“Oh no you’re not!”
“Oh yes I am!”
“Oh no you’re not!”
This can go on for a while.

As mentioned before, the audience’s sympathy is called on at some point, encouraged by hands movements the audience will go, “Awwwwwwwwwww!” and usually then be told not to be patronising.

Pantomimes invariably involve songs. The usual format is to have at least one song where the audience is spilt in half and encourage to sing two different parts. This is done by two different characters who try to get their half to sing louder and better. As a child you immediately feel a part of the show from then on, and will applaud “your” cast member loudest at the end.

The larger (professional) pantos will have well known faces as their actors. The smaller ones will just have a guest star – one of the Gladiators, or a regional TV presenter etc. Amateur pantos just make do with local actors, but probably include more local jokes.

The actors break the fourth wall all through the show – the boys and girls are often asked for help, whether it’s spotting the baddies, calling for another character to come on stage, help with magic spells or just banter. It’s a Christmas family tradition and really really good fun. If you ever get the chance, brief your kids on what to expect and get a ticket. Or go without kids, like I do 

Hope this helps!