It’s behind you

            Hello, lovelies

    We’re halfway through January, and so far, 2021 has been challenging. Shops are still closed, the new variant of the virus is running rampant, and our lives are back to the uncertainty of last spring. But the one thing that is missing most from my life is our traditional Christmas panto. Oh yes it is! There’s been no Dames in frilly dresses and outrageous wigs. No girls dressed as boys trying to win the hearts of either the princess or the pauper. No flying carpets or sky-reaching beanstalks. No puss in boots and definitely no Mother Goose’ dancing across our theatre stages. Is our traditional Christmas Pantomime just another casualty of Covid 19, or is the magic of panto still with us?

            I just love panto, although all my friends and family will tell you that when I’m in the middle of one, albeit on stage, behind the scenes or selling ice creams out front, panto tends to drive me crazy. But there is something so magical about going to the theatre, from the immense stage of the London Pallidum to the local village hall, sitting in the dark as the music begins and you’re transported to another world where magic is real, good always triumphs over evil and true love always wins the day. Where audience participation is encouraged, and we can all suspend our disbelieves as we see our comic pantomime dame chase any and all eligible men around the stage.  But where has our quintessentially British Christmas tradition come from? And why does it have such an effect on everyone, so that even the most ardent non-theatre goers rush to buy the best tickets for themselves and their families?

            British Pantomime can be traced back to the Italian Commedia dell'Arte. A theatre troupe formed in the 16th-century, bringing a new form of dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and a cast of mischievous characters unseen before. Such as Harlequin, the quick-witted and somewhat mischievous hero who wears a mask and dressed in clothes made of patches. Harlequin and his companions, Scaramouche, Pantaloon, Pierrot, Punch and love-interest Columbine would improvise comic stories with singing, dancing as they travelled across Europe. By the early 18th century, the Commedia characters began to appear on the London stage in early pantomimes which were based on classical stories, set to music but without speech.

Harlequin was the star of the 18th-century panto. In 1732 John Rich, an early British Harlequin, built the Covent Garden Theatre with the profits from his productions. He also developed the Harlequinade. Which is a comic chase scene depicting the story of the lovers Harlequin and Columbine, who are kept apart by the girl's father, Pantaloon and his servant, Clown. Harlequinades were mimed to music, and always involved a lot of slapstick. But what is slapstick? And is it still in use today? Slapstick is a type of clownish physical comedy, absurd situations and vigorous and usually ‘mock’ violence. The slapstick comic is much more than a mere funny man. It can take many years to learn the art of slapstick and pull it off with ease in a safe way. It is most definitely still around today. Slapstick from our circus clowns to The Three Stooges, as well as our well-known and much loved Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson in Bottom.

            Slowly, the characters began to grow as new, and old, stories were penned and turned into pantomimes, like Dick Whittington, Robin Hood and Babes in the wood. The stories evolved and became more topical as the satire of the day began to grow with witty puns, wordplay, and audience participation is added. Along with chase scenes and spectacular transformations, magic tricks and quick-change costumes. Then the majestic and magical Joseph Grimaldi's Clown appeared in the hit Mother Goose at Covent Garden in 1806, the clown began to edge out Harlequin as the star of the show. And we all love the clown in our panto’s today. Just think of Buttons and Idle Jack.

            Today we see fairy-tale characters, magical animals, principal boys and pantomime dames all became part of the mix. New stories were added to include Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Aladdin.  Our Dames grew from a time when it was unlawful for women to appear on the stage, so a man would dress up and take on the mantle as a woman to its full stereotypical form. So, a combination of traditional tales, political puns and the latest pop song is thrown into the mix, we have a modern-day panto. But why is it synonymous with Christmas?  When they started, like at my beautiful Wimbledon theatre, pantos opened on Boxing day marking the tradition with Christmas. Wimbledon Theatre opened on Boxing day 1910 with Jack and Jill. And has had a panto almost every Christmas since.

            Each year a new script is written, but the story always stays the same. And we love it. So much so that 10 years ago on a cold Sunday morning, I was asked if I would be interested in taking part in a small local church panto. The chap who asked me had gone between the 3 linked churches trying to find willing participants to put in a show and hopefully raise money for a charity. And little did I know that that 10 years later I would still be doing so. It had started off with the panto Cinderella, and the 2 vicars were set to play the ugly sisters. We sold out on both shows and raised a fair bit of money. And from then on, we have put on a show every year, raising more and more money for charity. And every year we all swear that we won’t be doing it again, But we all do. Last year we put on Puss in Boots and raised a substantial amount for our local Foodbank, our selected charity. And as for the chap who had had the original idea of putting on a one-off show, has become such an important part of my family. As well as playing the Dame every year, that I now call him Mum, as he played Widow Twankie to me playing Aladdin, and the nickname stuck.

            So this year has been hard. I have missed my friends. I have missed the rehearsals in the cold church halls on dark winter nights. And I have missed the thrill of watching the actors perform on a stage. And I have missed having crazy hair-brained ideas, that I demand that my best friend/producer has to put into action, which she always does. But the thing that I am happy about is the fact that I know that it won’t be long before we can start putting this year's panto together. And that’s why I think that panto is such a big part of our culture. Because, no matter where you’re from, or if theatre is not your thing, panto is that one time when we are all ready, willing and able to be part of the crowd, laugh, cheer, boo and hiss, join in and be part of a magical tradition. We good always wins and the baddie always has his comeuppance. The Dame always gets her man and the principal boy and girl always end up together. Panto's bring communities together, from large commercial productions to small local amateur groups. With bad jokes, silly song sheets and outrageous costumes, panto makes us us. So I'm going to put my sense of loss behind me, and look towards the new year and panto to come.