panto dame its behind you

From the ancient Greeks, through to Shakespeare and into the 17th century, men or boys played all the female roles. But how did the cross-dressing dame become so central to the tradition? What is it that attracts us - young and old - to this bizarre medley of fairy tale, dance, jokes and song? But he also realized the commercial potential of this emerging form. While most of that has seen men dressing as women, the tradition of the drag king women dressed as men also dates back to the 18th century and was commonplace at the time in music halls. His career began at the Surrey Theatre in 1886, and his performances particularly his Mother Goose in 1902, which he played alongside a gaggle of live animals came to define the role of the dame as we know her now: the over-the-top, unlucky-in-love, slapstick heart of the show. These are laid out from the very beginning of the show and aimed at the villain or panto baddie when they are acting in a mean or nasty way. After hundreds of frock changes, decades of in-jokes, countless singalongs and not a single identifiable plot, Berwick Kaler is to retire as York Theatre Royal's resident panto dame. Performances brought together laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy and a set of recognisable stock characters. Berwick Kaler, who says this years show at York Theatre Royal is his last, promises loyal local audience a night of absolute rubbish. Pantomime has become quintessentially British: as British as Earl Grey tea or a good Indian curry. Five things you (probably) didnt know about pantomime dames, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. There are things we might have said 15, 20 years ago, with all innocence, he says, that we wouldnt say now, that wouldnt be perceived as funny. This adaptability is a core part of the form, he says, reiterating that he hopes everyone feels welcome and included at every panto hes a part of. What could be more British than the Christmas tradition of going out with the family to see a pantomime? Modern conventions of pantomime, such as the inclusion of fairy tales, audience participation and comic use of cross-gender casting have all become staple parts of what many see as the traditional family panto. He will . 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. Pantomime is surpassed only by Shakespeare in terms of the gender bending casting in its long history. 0000000872 00000 n startxref When the water guns are empty and the glitter cannons have been fired, whats so funny about a bloke in a frock? 0000003493 00000 n So when youre planning your next panto, use this checklist and make sure youve included everything that you want to. Ugly 2: Yes, we visited Apple but they didnt sell apples. He is best known for his eponymous production company, which stages what are promoted as "family musical" theatre productions in the British pantomime tradition in Toronto every holiday season. Every line is written with them in mind. The Grand Old Dame of York opens in mid-December and runs until the start of February. The bottom half is a firing squad. They often have strong personal traits and play a key part in the plot (yes, thats twice now Ive talked about plot in a panto blog!). Fire the glitter cannons! Weve been saying for years that Drag Queen Story Hour UK is panto in a library.. All these elements have shaped the pantomimes we enjoy today. Lenos Dames, played with an evocative Irish lilt, were down to characters. Performance has always exploited the pleasurable ambiguities of cross-dressing. Often the incongruence is the joke. and 'Oh yes it is!. 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! Slapstick comedy can take place at any time during a pantomime, but tends to happen during the messy or slosh scene. <<1e2a2cb2dfd82d42964b08e322d0618b>]>> Here's a list of fun songs which we think would be suitable for an audition for the role of pantomime dame. Pantomime is not taken seriously in Ireland. Its also frequent to see gender bent comics and a mish-mash of other roles. The pantomime is a traditional Christmas show in England, it is usually based around a well-known fairy tale and is very funny. Cultural historian and writer Christopher Frayling explores the rich and surprising history of British pantomime. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) (How old are you?, Four years old, Really? We associate pantomime with Britain and many people outside of the UK find our obsession with the over-the-top show a little strange. Pantomime horses, cows, cats (and indeed a variety of alternative animals) form a core role in the show. They are invited to join in with singing a song with a couple of the characters. These performances were wordless, as the theatres where they were played were unlicensed to stage spoken drama. He's single, no children so why? AETNUK. 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. The weird and wonderful story of British pantomime. Audiences loved this hilarious piece of quickfire patter which ended with the Queens exquisitely logical solution, "well: there's only one thing we can eat. Their lives are a constant struggle to find food and money. Cancer nurses go on strike for first time: Thousands of health workers from half of NHS trusts in England stage 28-hour strike over pay today in blow to patients in cancer units, ICU wards and A&E . Among the ex-soap stars, reality TV veterans and retired sporting heroes will be a small band of middle-aged men who have cornered the market in that pantomime staple, the Dame. Pantomime means family fun. trailer Travelling from place to place to earn their living, these actors began to take commedia across Europe. Scattering pop songs throughout your panto is not an easy task when you have such a strong narrative structure to adhere to (I know, I know). But what distinguishes gender-bending in pantomime is the mock-seriousness which emerges in Victorian burlesque theatre. Today we associate pantomimes with recognisable names from soap operas and talent shows taking to the stage for fun and laughter, but where did the tradition begin? RT @DigbyMiss: What's with Babets obsession with Drag queens. Tradition can be seen as a sign of resisting change, but in pantomime theres a fine balance to be made between keeping traditions and innovating for the next generation of families to enjoy. It combined a storyline from Ovids Metamorphoses and a harlequinade. With his thick eyebrows drawn way up high on his forehead and the tip of his nose heavily powdered with rouge, Dan Lenos Mother Goose was a sensation. Companies began touring their shows around Italy and France, performing at fairgrounds and telling the tale of their main characters. In comes a character with white face and red cheeks; a pie-crust frill and baggy trousers; a cavernous mouth, and an elastic, intensely expressive face. Pantomime dame. Critics bitterly attacked pantomimes, complaining that this foreign entertainment threatened the downfall of Shakespeare and the death of serious theatre. And here Lowery does apply a twist. Im just trying to be funny. Ellacott echoes this point. Ugly 1: We visited Boots but they didnt sell boots. Unleash the water pistols! 0000007133 00000 n He took over the lease of the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane and it became home to spectacular annual pantomimes that ran all year from Easter to Christmas. The messy madness in the middle of the pantomime has a technical name. Nigel Ward ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possde pas de parts, ne reoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a dclar aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche. Designed in the shape of the Union Flag . As a comedian, he performed stand-up on the London comedy circuit, worked as an improviser, wrote and performed material for Newsrevue and contributed material to The Treason Show. He's single, no children so why? 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. Spectators rushed to the box office and crammed themselves into theatres to enjoy his latest show. Jason Peck, is an award-winning English humorist, actor and comedian based in Chicago, IL. Harlequinades were tremendous fun to watch. And until today, drag has remained a staple of comedy from burlesque to mainstream entertainment. Berwick Kaler with sidekick Martin Barrass backstage at York Theatre Royal in 2017. who had heart bypass surgery before writing and starring in last years show. The roots of gender-blind casting are traced way back in history. This is certainly true of Samuels experience. Performances brought together laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy and a set of recognisable stock characters. Mother Goose is at Hackney Empire, London, until 31 December. Lets explore where the pantomime came from and how it has developed into the spectacle, we all love today. The raw energy of music hall, the sauciness of Victorian burlesque, the crazy chase of the harlequinade, the acrobatic power of John Rich, the archetypal plots of commedia. They spoke in a form of inconsequential chatter. But how could Garrick cash in on the craze and still maintain his position as the defender of 'legitimate' theatre? In the 16th century, pantomime was born from commedia dell'arte, a Renaissance Italian street-theatre genre. After playing one of the Ugly Sisters in his first York panto appearance in 1977, he became a festive fixture, only missing two years in the 1980s when he was performing in the West End. Modern pantos (partially due to casting constraints) are beginning to feature one-man/woman animal skin roles which often have spoken lines. Hence, bell ringing came along. Outside of that, there are plenty of exceptions to the generally agreed casting rules. 0000002885 00000 n In the panto there is lots of jokes and the line 'he's behind you' is famous as there is always a scene in a panto where someone is looking for something and it is always behind them. These are laid out from the very beginning of the show and aimed at the villain or 'panto baddie' when they are acting in a mean or nasty way. Its variety with a narrative.. Pantomime has become a major visitor attraction in its own right. One of the most extensive messy scenes Ive seen is a broken ships bathroom which spews water everywhere (and I mean everywhere). It has its roots in ancient Greece, and via Italy and France, insinuates itself into Britain. [1] Although some pantomimes traditionally do not contain standard dame roles, certain productions of those stories add a dame character, for example, in many versions of Peter Pan. 0000001141 00000 n Sign up to my newsletter for regular blogs and insider advice on writing and producing pantomimes. Slowly, he began to domesticate the Dame and to imagine her as a mother, facing problems which he and his audiences knew all too well: poverty, unemployment and abandonment. Like the commedia's Arlecchino, this Harlequin displayed extraordinary physical agility, and elemental desires for food, drink and sex. Traditional boys are rare nowadays but they do crop up occasionally. Actor Hub - a career and lifestyle guide for actors in the UK The role came about in the early 19th century, developing from the travesti tradition of theatrical cross-dressing. Pantomime crystallises around the story of a dysfunctional family and that strange, eccentric figure of the Dame. 0000001321 00000 n pastor tom mount olive baptist church text messages / london drugs broadway and vine / panto dame its behind you. And if there's one thing which unites theatregoers of all . If you have more traditions I havent mentioned here, perhaps some that are specific to your production company, Id love to hear about them! Again, pantomime seems to embody the spirit of the age, this time in more political terms. 'I never feel stressed coming here, because we come to do what we love with people that we love' This summer, I was followed across the whole of the country with people shouting the words paedophile and groomer at me. Just like Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, Leno revelled in the ludicrous logic of nonsense. I'd say for most children in Britain the pantomime is their first experience at the theatre, and some schools will run trips to see their local show. Over the last few years, Drag Queen Story Hour UK has received an onslaught of abuse and aggressive protests. It features men dressed as women, and women masquerading as young men. But at the same time, music hall artists such as Leno were infusing pantomime with the plots and dilemmas of working-class culture. Traditional pantomimes are great fun for all the family. To an outsider, pantomime traditions may seem bizarre, even misjudged. So how did the Pantomime Dame come into being and why do we continue to be fascinated by this bizarre, eccentric figure? And besides, the tradition of the pantomime dame is about much more than just cross-dressing. They usually wear heavy make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in an over-the-top style. The pressure to recreate the panto each year is unrelenting and he takes making the rubbish seriously He has a sixth sense as a performer that is most rare. They tell a story about survival against the odds. Pantomime presents a tale of good and evil, where hope triumphs over adversity after danger and virtual despair. endstream endobj 252 0 obj<>/W[1 1 1]/Type/XRef/Index[24 201]>>stream across the United Kingdom during the Christmas season, and beyond. 0000004056 00000 n It walks a fine line: too blue and the adults will feel embarrassed, not blue enough and the children might understand it! His co-stars at the Theatre Royal have included regulars such as sidekick Martin Barrass and villainous David Leonard, while 1979s production of Dick Whittington found a 21-year-old Gary Oldman playing his cat. Across the UK, children and adults come to their local theatre to be dazzled and thrilled by the spectacle and the fun of pantomime. You can also reword some famous numbers to contribute to the comedy of the moment. Unleash the water pistols! The lyrics for the song are flown in from the fly floor in large print for everyone to see. Drag artists are seen as a representation of the queer community. 0 Lavish scenery and over-the-top characters lay at the heart of Harris work. In York, the pantomime has been an extraordinary success story, the jewel in the city's entertainment crown. Selected children are invited on stage and involved in comedy improv from the dame or comic. There is also a song sequence with nearly a hundred custard pies. The strange key to Leno's success - and to the character of the Dame ever since - was his creation of a credible woman whom everyone knows is being played by a man. Joseph Grimaldi, the inventor of pantomime's most famous gags: the butter slide (when a character suddenly slips on the doorstep); sausages which suddenly come to life. The panto season has stretched to last from the start of December to the end of January, and become essential to the UKs theatre economy. You can update your cookie preferences at any time. Available now. Pantomime has a really complicated and messy history, but broadly speaking it came about from Commedia Dell'arte, a traditional Italian theatre form . Goldilocks and the Three Bears is at Richmond theatre until 31 December. In Humpty Dumpty, Leno played a debt-ridden Queen who is running out of lunch options: the cook baldly declares that shes donated not just the cold beef but the Kings brace of pheasants, the fish and the pickled pork all to the royal cat. However, to those who grew up with panto, there are many governing rules, fun quirks and bizarre twists that work together to make the panto magic we all know and love. The character list included the clown Pierrot, old man Pantalone and Columbine, a girl who fell in love with a servant called Arlecchino. An extended scene of comedy slapstick usually involving some kind of liquid or sticky substance is a well-loved pantomime tradition. Think of the combined power of television and the internet and you start to understand the theatres reach and influence in the 18th century. Dan Leno was the celebrated music-hall performer who created this garrulous, working-class woman. - Renew, refocus and refresh your acting. Thousands of people, from aristocrats to apprentices, patronised theatres in London every night; by mid-century, theatres were being built in towns and cities across Britain. The characters are plagued by ghosts, ghouls, goblins and nasties. Nor does it have an awarding body (though an annual Great British Pantomimes Awards has just been . All rights reserved. What emerged was a lovelorn older woman, facing adversity with a kind of desperate fun. Apprentices, merchants and aristocrats were all fascinated by him. The cleverest song sheets are well-known songs from the year, tongue twisters or songs which take inspiration from their panto title (French songs for Beauty and the Beast etc.) Panto became a more inclusive, cacophonous, family affair, with a man in drag centre stage to welcome everyone in from the cold. Dan Leno and Herbert Campbell in Babes in the Wood, 1897, at the Drury Lane Theatre. On stage of course. By the late 17th century, commedia dellarte characters were commonplace in English comedy dramas. This made the show more accessible to audience members attending. Gender bent fairies and baddies are commonplace (I have a particular love of gender bending the fairy in Dick Whittington). The slapstick may also have had a secondary purpose. 0000003529 00000 n 1901), Lexpertise universitaire, lexigence journalistique. or at selected cinemas. It was Leno who introduced into the traditional quest narratives of Humpty Dumpty and Aladdin a deeply human figure who has since become one of the most eccentric character in British culture. What he brought to the Dame was a talent for impersonating the absurd dilemmas of ordinary people, from waiters and railway guards to downtrodden women. Commedia dellarte toured across Europe, arriving in England several times. crivez un article et rejoignez une communaut de plus de 163 400 universitaires et chercheurs de 4 609 institutions. 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. Show more. 0000003446 00000 n They are always at the forefront of LGBTQ+ rights, and panto dames are not. However, it has grown in popularity in other countries including New Zealand, Australia and Canada. 0000009822 00000 n Since then, pantomime has been rebooted in line with other forms of popular entertainment, from working class music hall to middle class variety; radio to film and television. Pantomime's history is a story of border crossings, as plots and performers slip across national, linguistic and cultural boundaries. Kaler, 72, was born in Sunderland and worked as a painter and decorator before he made his panto debut aged 19 in a production of Babes in the Wood in Manchester. 0000014306 00000 n Leno created a Dame whose theatrical power comes from the locking together of our sympathy and our laughter. Often a favourite pantomime tradition for adults in the audience, the ancient art of double entendre is an established element of the panto form. Pantomime ( / pntmam /; [1] informally panto) [2] is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. - a unique British entertainment that takes place in theatres. This week, Lord Hume is in the studio to tell you all about the history of one of Britain's most beloved traditions, Pantomime!Join Lord Hume every week for . And in an age of gender fluidity, should we still be laughing? Its a comment on the time, so its pantomimes job to metamorphosise.. The Christmas Pantomime colour lithograph bookcover, 1890, showing the harlequinade characters. Thousands of people would line the streets as his coffin made its way up to Pentonville Hill. [CDATA[// >