Pantomime

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 08:28 AM

There have been complaints from the Politically Correct Brigade that Chinese laundries in songs and plays are stereotyping, racism etc. George Formby sang about Mr Woo and his Chinese laundry blues, and nowadays people are horribly shocked. I'm not however, and I'd bet most Chinese people aren't either.

David Gant played the Sheriff Phil Hiccup (Bill Hickok you see, it was set in the Wild West of all places) He's a well-known Scottish serious actor, and one of his asides made me smile. He said, "To think I abandoned classical Shakespeare for this rubbish!"

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: DMcG
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 08:15 AM

Aladdin is one of the tales from the 1001 Arabian Nights, so I have wondered on occasion where the Chinese Laundry came into it. But that's panto: don't expect it to make a lot of sense.

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 08:06 AM

'Aladdin' is my favourite pantomime of them all. In Norwich, Richard Gauntlett wrote, directed and acted in it a few years ago. He's always the Dame, so he played Widow Twanky. It's meant to be set in Peking (Chinese laundry, you see) but the characters all have Arabic or Muslim names. (wicked Uncle Abadnazar etc) so the geography is a bit suspect to say the least. The Norwich production had a glorious slapstick scene in the Laundry with water and suds flying everywhere, and Widow Twanky and Wishy-Washy soaked to the skin.
There were lots of jokes yesterday about Trump. The villain (Stinky Pete) threatened to run for President, and Nigella Trottalot said, "Well, we could always have a Referendum!" whenever things weren't going well.
I could happily watch the whole thing again, but all the tickets are sold out very quickly.

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: Mr Red
Date: 08 Jan 17 - 06:03 AM

Pantomime for the Americans - imagine you are watching Trump spouting on telly. And you are shouting "Oh no it isn't" at the goggle box.

Now translate that to a live audience of disbelievers. Now imagine it is done purely for laughs (hard I know).

Well you would be getting close.

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 05:25 PM

Pantomime is something I have read about, have not made its acquaintance really.

I am a fan of Sir Ian McKellen though, and he has included pantomime in his very diverse resume (when is he going to win an Oscar anyway?!).

It seems he played the Widow Twankey in "Aladdin." I don't know the director's name, but this was a high-profile production and the director was somebody who had McKellen's respect. The director has since passed away, and somehow I stumbled across the modest online tribute that McKellen posted to said director.
He recalled the initial notes the director gave him for "Aladdin." Went something like:
Ian, everybody loves the Widow Twankey because she loves her son. Therefore, you will have to find the loving mother in yourself.

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 04:48 PM

It could have been keberoxu. The Pantomime usually runs from Christmas well into New Year. We find it just lifts us up when Christmas is over and the winter is getting a bit miserable.
I think a Panto rests on the personality of the man who plays the Dame. He has to be a real trouper with a skill for ad libs and camping it up. The costumes too play a huge part, being very brightly-coloured and, for the Dame, with several changes (usually very ornate and bizarre 'frocks' with fruit bowls or huge vegetables on his hat)
My husband is used to it now, but was very puzzled the first time. After about thirty minutes, he leaned across to me and whispered, " I think that strange lady is a MAN!" When I explained that it was, he was astonished. He was also fascinated by the actors whizzing about in the air on flying cables. And when the villain (a witch, in Snow White) rose up out of the ground amid clouds of yellow 'smoke' he nearly jumped out of his skin. That was many years ago of course.
This year there was a pantomime cow (two men, back and front) and several lovely dancers, not to mention special strobe lighting and laser stuff. A huge inflated foot came down from the 'sky' which was the giant.
I love all these traditional things, such as Punch and Judy and Morris dancing. I even remember pierrots on the beach at Westgate-on-sea in the early fifties.

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 04:07 PM

Was it Pantomime that the Beatles were copying on their fan-club Christmas record,
released 1966, with a tune that went something like

Everywhere it's Christmas, everywhere it's strong
London Paris Rome New York Tokyo Hong Kong
Everywhere it's Christmas,
I'm off to join the cheer
Everywhere it's Christmas,
At the end of every year! O!
Everywhere it's Christmas, at the end of every yaaaaah! All together now!

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 04:06 PM

i did the music for our local drama group's panto.

i'd recommend it. terrific fun.
a chance to use all those weird sounds on a synth when the wicked witch comes onstage.
accompanying all those songs - particularly the silly ones - and the love songs and the singalongs.
have no doubts - it may not be folk music - but you'll never get a more 'up' audience!

Subject: RE: BS: Pantomime
From: DMcG
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 02:59 PM

I have a friend in the UK broight up in Virginia, east coast US. He finds the whole thing completely baffling.

Subject: BS: Pantomime
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 02:55 PM

We've just got home from the Theatre Royal in Norwich having been to the Pantomime 'Jack and The Beanstalk'. It was marvellous, with all the traditional elements of a Dame, villain (Wayne Sleep!) and dancers including tiny children who performed beautifully, plus lots of messy slapstick and political asides about the Referendum and President Trump. We shouted, "Oh no it isn't!" and, "It's behind you!" as is expected of the audience.
I'm wondering if other countries such as USA and Australia etc have pantomimes, or is it exclusive to UK?
And have any Brits on here been to the Panto in their town?