From the Romans playing women long before women were allowed to play themselves, to male impersonators such as Vesta Tilley, the highest paid female performer of the music hall era, gender has always been scrutinised, sent up, and experimented with. Cracked is at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London, until 6 January, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. They are instigated by a cast member but also happen unexpectedly. And with an increase in gender-blind casting, it might well mean that when it comes to sexism on stage: Its behind you!. Serve up the cat for lunch.". She couldnt fall over. You wont see those traditional commedia dellarte characters anymore but the essence of their ideas, slapstick and fun remains. Harlequinades were tremendous fun to watch. They bring the audience together in collective celebration of the accomplishments of the hero/heroine of the piece. This character is still seen in pantomime today as the puppet Mr Punch. Jude Law is a curveball Captain Hook in David Lowery's Peter Pan Pantomime has always been fascinated by the crossing or transgression of boundaries: the pleasurable ambiguity of men dressed up as women, and the fun of animals played by human beings. Again, pantomime seems to embody the spirit of the age, this time in more political terms. 0000002098 00000 n But the Regency Clown never ends up in gaol. However, it has grown in popularity in other countries including New Zealand, Australia and Canada. 225 28 So how did the Pantomime Dame come into being and why do we continue to be fascinated by this bizarre, eccentric figure? Its the age of Regency: Britain is at war with France; theres intense social unrest and violent confrontations between the government and the people. Christmas, for many of us, would not be Christmas without pantomime; and pantomime was the place we first discovered the magic of theatre. Its the time of year when drag collides with family entertainment. The audience have always given me the nod and the wink, saying thats great or youve gone too far. 1901), Lexpertise universitaire, lexigence journalistique. Fire the glitter cannons! Whether we mock or celebrate makes a difference, and with such enormous and avid audiences, pantos have the power to influence peoples prejudices. This cleverly captured the rhythms of ordinary speech, while opening up chasms of lunacy, one absurdity on top of another. Early masters (mistresses) of the role, included Dan Leno who, like many of his successors, came more from a music-hall tradition, rather than a dramatic one. From policeman wielding foam truncheons, to dames doing damage with a frying pan, there is no end to the fun that can be had. He also writes and co-directs the surreal and anarchic annual productions, which start with him greeting the audience with the catchphrase Me babbies, me bairns. This faded tradition came about in part because of the novelty that came from seeing the legs of a girl in tights a breeches role rather than in the modest skirts that women were normally restricted to at the time. It's that time of the year when pantomimes take over theatres across the land. It's Behind You! The Christmas Panto - Pro Humorist 0000006236 00000 n However, before the Theatres Act in 1843 - apart from those performed in patent or licensed theatres - consisted of miming and dancing. It is, says Kaler, a culmination of every pantomime I have ever done at York in as much as it has no story, no plot and its absolute rubbish. One of my favourite sketches is where the fairy tries to teach the comic how to sing a romantic song or delivery a romantic rhyme but whenever the comic tries, he always ends up creating a rhyme with a rude word! It's a splendid witticism, albeit untrue. One of. On stage of course. It has its roots in ancient Greece, and via Italy and France, insinuates itself into Britain. Audiences were thrilled by his mischief and his endless eating precisely because he created on stage the fantasy of a different world: a world without hunger, a world of comic revenge against a highly repressive government. Dan Leno as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1896) A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British and Irish pantomime. Berwick Kaler, who says this years show at York Theatre Royal is his last, promises loyal local audience a night of absolute rubbish. Im enjoying myself and then I think, What are you really laughing at here? Samuel runs Drag Queen Story Hour UK, a company that organises drag queens reading stories to children in libraries. H|VnF+>%3X,X-83Ip>=0]86?g>mw@-_(B2ErG Today, celebrities from both sides of the Atlantic queue up to appear on British stages at Christmas. In contemporary theatre, important progress is being made in casting for women. It is also used where characters are encouraging the audience to assist them in finding a particular object on stage. Amazing transformations happened at the touch of Harlequins magic wand, with mechanical serpents and flying vehicles. The centre of comic gravity is certainly shifting: away from the Clown and toward an unexpected star: a careworn mother, haggard and a bit of a gossip, struggling to cope in this unfriendly world. Email press at warwick dot ac dot uk. Pantomime dame - Wikipedia No, we cant replace him but we can take his passion forward and honour his work in doing so., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Could you imagine your favourite pantomime without any words or music? Peter Duncan's Panto Gets Cinema Release - Southwark News Spoken word performances became popular from this time onwards and the puns and innuendos we all love became an integral part of the show. Panto dames are drag queens, Samuel says adamantly. So perhaps the future casting possibilities for women are not quite as bleak as they once were. I have always been an avid fan: in 2021 I saw three in one day. Think of the combined power of television and the internet and you start to understand the theatres reach and influence in the 18th century. Im just trying to be funny. Ellacott echoes this point. They are always at the forefront of LGBTQ+ rights, and panto dames are not. Find your next pantomime script today, with customisable scripts for productions of all shapes and sizes, written by a professional pantomime director. The messy madness in the middle of the pantomime has a technical name. The top half is a picture of drag queens. A music hall celebrity, a standup comic and a champion clog-dancer, Leno was the star of late Victorian pantomime. The panto season is here. PDF The History of Pantomime The story of pantomime is a tale of dragons and serpents. All these elements have shaped the pantomimes we enjoy today. 227 0 obj<>stream We use cookies to give you the best online experience. The harlequinade has mysteriously disappeared, a casualty of respectability. In doing so, of course, Garrick created a convention which has survived to this day. Pantomime - Wikipedia A small thin man, with an odd wistful face, and a husky voice, he was said to have 'the saddest eyes in the world'. These performances were wordless, as the theatres where they were played were unlicensed to stage spoken drama. It's Behind You! The weird and wonderful story of British pantomime - BBC ITS BEHIND YOU DOT COM - The Magic of Pantomime 3. Augustus Harris is one of the most legendary figures in West End history and he became popularly known as the father of modern pantomime. He encouraged the most extravagant of shows to be produced and stoked competition in the British theatre world. Photography has arrived, the telegraph has just been invented, the first motor cars are starting to appear on British streets. And it is this silence that put the mime into pantomime. Go to www.historylord.co.uk to book a tour with the man himself.Directed \u0026 Edited by James Albarn of Last Line Films:www.lastlinefilms.comwww.youtube.com/lastlinefilmsFilmed by James Westlake:https://www.jameswestlake.co.ukhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo6Hx8ONooH1tgNoNsjf3hA#christmas #historylord #London Loathed by stage mangers up and down the country, these scenes range from mildly messy to dangerously dirty. Goldilocks and the Three Bears is at Richmond theatre until 31 December. Many commedia plots show the zanni outwitting the vecchi or overthrowing their masters. It combined a storyline from Ovids Metamorphoses and a harlequinade. The characters were so well-known it made natural sense to incorporate them in popular shows. 1. All rights reserved. Its different histories, Samuel suggests. Often hungry, usually broke, these characters represent the common people. Unleash the water pistols! Dick Whittingtons cat comes in handy when he discovers that Londons rats. A look into the history of pantomime. Leno created a Dame whose theatrical power comes from the locking together of our sympathy and our laughter. She couldnt have a custard pie in the face. We have some of the best and most original Dames in the country, so please enquire if you would like Molly Limpet's to make your Dame look stunning in our costume hire. He will . (1) This was a form of masked, travelling street theatre that came about in the streets of 16th Century . www.its-behind-you.com (@IBYPantomime) / Twitter Performances brought together laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy and a set of recognisable stock characters. Pierce Brosnan was once an assistant stage manager on the panto and, early in his career, Old Vic artistic director Matthew Warchus built its sets.