Panto Time in Britain December 20, 2004 This is a London theater? The audience--adults and children--are booing and shouting. Old ladies are demanding that the cast throw sweets to them. Now each side of the house is trying to bellow louder than the other. "Oh yes she is!" screams one section of the audience. "Oh no she isn't!" roars the other. Between December and January, many British theaters have a pantomime season. Based on fairy tales, pantomime combines drama with singing, slapstick comedy, and lots of jokes. The audience gets plenty of opportunities to join in the fun, too.
British pantomimes have a venerable history. Jack the Giant Killer first appeared in 1773; Cinderella was first performed in 1804. But it was the Victorians who turned "the visit to the panto" into a yearly tradition. Whichever story is performed, pantomime follows set rules. The principle boy--Prince Charming, Aladdin, Dick Whittington, Peter Pan--is played by a woman. Then there is a Dame figure: a man who dresses as a woman. Dames aren't drag artistes, though. Their hairy legs and beards make it clear even to tiny tots that Nurse or Mother is really a man. Mother Goose, Widow Twankey, and Cinderella's ugly sisters are all well-known cross-dressing roles. No pantomime is complete without a villain. Whenever a Demon King or Wicked Uncle appears (always from stage left and lit by a green spotlight), it's the signal for the audience to jeer and hiss. All performances also include slapstick. One of the funniest "slosh scenes" is in Cinderella when the Ugly Sisters prepare for the royal ball. An argument develops, and they start throwing water, mud packs, and face-powder at each other. Other opportunities for creating havoc take place in Widow Twankey's laundry or Mother Goose's kitchen. Custard pies, raw eggs, and bags of flour all make wonderful weapons… London's Old Vic theater is performing Aladdin between Dec. 17 and Jan. 22. For tickets, tel. (44)870-060-6628; website: www.oldvictheatre.com. Price: $27 to $64. Sir Ian McKellan--Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings--is playing Widow Twankey. At the Birmingham Hippodrome, you can see Jack and the Beanstalk from Dec. 21 to Jan. 30. Tickets $22 to $40. Tel. (44)870-730-1234; website: www.birminghamhippodrome.com. Cinderella in Newcastle…Dick Whittington in Manchester…Mother Goose in Glasgow. For more big city panto options, go to: www.thisistheatre.com. --Steenie Harvey
Roving Euro-editor, International Living | 
