Comments on: It’s Pantomime Time!

By: Almost American

Almost American — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:34:00 +0000

I’ve taken my American DH to 3 different pantos in the UK. He picked up on it pretty fast, and still quotes lines he particularly liked from Babes in the Woods at Theatr Clwyd. Dear Daughter was terrified at first by the Rat Queen in Puss in Boots in New Brighton, but shouting BOOOOO and HISSSSS at her made the villainess a lot less scary apparently. I’ve been to some kids’ theater here in the US where they’ve wanted to get the kids to participate by shouting things like “He’s behind you” and it was very interesting to see the lack of participation at first. The first season, the audience was relatively quiet by English panto standards, but it has become a local tradition and now the regulars know what to do. Like the English panto there are some jokes included for the parents’ sake too - not crude like in panto, but more politically themed. One thing DH and I noticed was that you do need some knowledge of local celebrities and politics to understand all the jokes in English panto. It is definitely a very cultural experience!

By: Open to England » It’s Pantomime Time!

Open to England » It’s Pantomime Time! — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:49:10 +0000

[…] Ah Pantomimes! Never a more hotly disputed art than that of the cliche-laden, audience-engaging, man-in-drag featuring panto. These scared me as a kid with their vibrancy and liberalism, but I have to say that a viewing two years ago at my local village hall swiftly turned my emotional tide. The commercial juggernaut panto featuring C-list celebs does little to tickle the senses and one has to question whether they would go out of their way to impede their lives with such crass banality. Kirsten from Childrens BBC? Brian Blessed? Are they deliberately trying to turn people away from the theatre? Pantomimes are a nice tradition but one in which I am not quite sure how to respond. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]

By: Will

Will — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:45:12 +0000

“Ah Pantomimes! Never a more hotly disputed art than that of the cliche-laden, audience-engaging, man-in-drag featuring panto. These scared me as a kid with their vibrancy and liberalism, but I have to say that a viewing two years ago at my local village hall swiftly turned my emotional tide…”

By: Falashay

Falashay — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:13:12 +0000

Very well put. I love panto’s but I’ve taken friends from Spain, France, America and Japan and not one of them has really found them that funny. I’ve always felt a bit embarrassed afterwards when I’ve stopped shouting ‘look behind you’ and ‘oh no he’s not’ and see them looking at me as though i’m slightly demented. Still all the other British are doing likewise so they do realise it’s a crazy cultural thing.

By: softinthehead

softinthehead — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:53:17 +0000

Beautifully summed up. I used to love these as a child but several years ago when our children were much younger we too them to see Puss In Boots I think it was and they both promptly fell asleep while their mum and dad yelled as loud as possible. Thanks for the memory.