A visit to the Pantomime is a longstanding Christmas tradition.
Children and grown-ups alike love it, this peculiarly British
way to celebrate the festive season. When else would you take
the kids to see a woman playing a man, a man playing a woman and
the most blatantly fake animal ever seen on a stage?
There are several elements that must be included in a
traditional Panto; the show should be based on a well-known
fairytale; there must be singing and dancing; topical jokes as
well as old chestnuts; shameless double entendre; lots of
audience participation; familiar stock characters must appear,
and of course there must be a transformation scene where the
put-upon hero or heroine finally achieves their destiny.
The word pantomime originally meant the person performing in a
dumb show a play without words that today we would call a
mime. Later it began to refer to the show itself. The form of
the modern pantomime is thought to be based on the Italian
Commedia dell'arte, a humorous play which would combine music,
acrobatics, and slapstick and include familiar characters, stock
storylines and topical jokes.
In the late 19th century the trend for casting a well-known
actor in the pantomime began at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane,
and continues to this day. You may be fortunate enough to see a
great performance from a comedy legend, although nowadays the
roles are more likely to go to soap stars, ex-members of
short-lived pop bands and TV reality show survivors.
So why do we love it so much? Firstly there is little on at the
theatre that the whole family can enjoy together. Secondly it is
all so familiar; you know the stories and the characters, it is
just like putting up the Christmas tree with the decorations you
use each year, a long-remembered ritual. Ultimately however, the
charm is its utter irresistibility. However down you feel when
you go into the theatre, you cannot help but groan at the
appalling jokes, cannot help but join in with its behind you!
and cannot help but sing along with everyone else in the finale.
Most importantly it is the best way to introduce your children
to the magic of live theatre. There is nothing like the
excitement of a live performance, with its unpredictability, its
tension and most of all, its atmosphere. A pantomime is the
perfect way to let your children experience that magic.
|
