The Pantomime season is currently in full swing here in England, with many British, Australian and American stars strutting their stuff in full costume, to a captive audience of adults and children alike. Amongst the American stars taking part are Henry Winkler (better known as The Fonz!) and Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy). It’s even rumoured that the Hoff was considering taking part in a British panto! Many Australian actors and actresses from Home and Away and Neighbours are also eager to star in British panto. Pantomime (or panto as it’s also known) is one of those great British institutions, loved by children and adults of all ages. It’s a unique form of entertainment not found in any other country of the world. Pantomime is always performed around Christmas time (running until early in the New Year) and is usually based around popular children’s stories such as Peter Pan, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Sleeping Beauty. The stories always have a happy fairytale ending. There is always a villain who comes to upset the proceedings but by the end of the show, he or she has been defeated and true love and happiness reigns supreme. Pantomime is great for children as it sends them the underlying message that good will always triumph over evil. Audience participation is positively encouraged and all part of the fun of panto. Children and adults alike love to boo the villain and warn the hero or heroine of the show where the villain is, shouting, “He’s (She’s) behind you!”. “Oh Yes he is! Oh No he isn’t!” Pantomimes are always great fun for both children and adults alike.
The word Pantomime literally means “all kinds of mime”. It is thought that British Pantomime has its origins and is modelled on the early masques of Stuart and Elizabethan times. The early masques of the 14th century tended to be mime, musical or spoken dramas performed in some of the grand English country houses. Times have certainly changed quite a bit since then and from the 17th century, they evolved into a theme party. Almost every pantomime nowadays has a Dame who is usually played by a man and a Principal Boy character who is usually played by a woman. This is thought to have its origins from the “Feast of Fools”, an entertainment event held in Tudor times which involved role reversal, drinking and revelry! Pantomimes are always well attended and despite the credit crunch, over 3 million people (including myself!) will visit a panto this season. So if you’re an overseas visitor staying in England at the moment, don’t forget to go and visit a Pantomime. It’s a unique experience you’ll never forget and I can promise you’ll have lots of fun, light relief from all the bad things going on in the world at the moment. Go on, visit a Pantomime today.
6 comments:
oh that sounds like good fun!
That was an interesting read. Thanks for introducing me to this art form!
I don't believe I've heard of this before...how interesting, Naomi! I'd love to see one.
Happy New Year to you and yours!
It's great fun Rick for adults and children alike.
Glad you found this interesting Sandy.
You would definitely enjoy it Marion. Happy New Year to you and Graham too!
I went to see a panto last Saturday - there's three hours of my life I will never get back....
To be fair, the actors were great, the sets fantastic, but the writing was a bit ropey and the length of the show just made it impossible for any of the children, who presumably it was aimed at, to concentrate at all.
A bit of a moan there, sorry. Actually I think panto is a great brit institution, lots of fun and when done well is highly entertaining - I just needed to let off steam about the wasted opportunity locally. I should say that it was an amateur production, and i've not seen a duff professional production yet, and have seen some exceptional amateur pantos too!
Sounds like fun Alastair!
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