Brits, tell us about "Panto"

Cafe Society
1

I gather this is “pantomime”, but has a definition beyond the idea of wordless acting, and had become a genre for kids that incorporates standard audience responses. I have a British TV torrent tracker, from which I get shows that have Stephen Fry and the QI people doing this, and various comedy shows that reference this, especially when the audience gets especially involved.

I’ve previously leaned on this board about the neighborhood “bands” consisting mostly of kazoos, but please tell the Americans about “panto”.

2

Basically Panto is a play, but with outrageous costumes, audience interaction (“He’s behind you!”), over-the-top acting, and gender reversals and double-entendres galore. For instance, in Dick Whittington, Dick is usually played by a girl; in Cinderella, the Ugly Sisters are played by men. It’s ostensibly aimed at children, but there’s enough there to engage the adults too.

Pantos are usually put on around Christmas.

3

I saw a posting on youtube that said the person thought you didn’t get the “I’m a Mac” ad that had a man in a dress because you wouldn’t have been startled enough by it, due to panto. I don’t really know.

4

To add to what Quartz said, pantos are always based on fairy tales, but incorporate lots of references to modern pop culture. They have a core love story (between the principal boy and a princess-type) accompanied by some sort of adventure.

Main characters:

The principal boy. Traditionally played by a girl but these days often played by a man. Usually wears tights and a jerkin or something similar.

The princess, or a female character similar to a princess. Should be pretty, usually a bit soppy.

The Dame. The main character of the play, really. She will be played by a man, and it’ll be a tall, overweight, manly man who’s not really trying to be like a woman at all. She will wear outrageous clothing, have most of the funny lines in the play and often have some sort of romantic interest with a baddie.

The Baddie. A really obvious baddie. When he appears on stage, to threatening music, the audiences boos and hisses. He gets the funny lines that wouldn’t work for the dame.

Buttons. A male friend/relation of either the principal boy or the princess; often in love with the princess. He gets some funny lines, but usually has some sad things happen to him that make the audience go awww.

A pantomime horse. Though it might be a cow or an elephant or a camel. Played by two people, traditionally, inside the horse, but these days often played by one person (maybe a child).

Lots of dancing townspeople.

All the characters talk to the audience now and then.

There are lots of songs and dances, including at least one song that the audience will join in on. Generally this is at the end of the panto, and the words will be shown on a huge board.

At some point there will be a competition where the audience is divided into two and has to sing or shout more loudly than the other side.

At some point, a character (usu. the Dame) will throw sweets into the audience.

And there HAS to be at least one occasion where a baddie will be behind a hero, and the audience will call out ‘he’s behind you!’ repeatedly while the hero and baddie turn round, with the hero not noticing the baddie until the audience has got really worked up.

This may be the same scene in which the call-and-response ‘oh no he isn’t,’ ‘oh yes he is!’ will come up.

I love panto, and get quite upset if I see one that’s veered too far from the mould.

I think I’m missing something here.

5

Surely Buttons is a specific character in the panto version of Cinderella (he is a palace servant in love with Cinderella, who helps her, but, of course, does not get her in the end). It may be that most pantos have someone in a similar role, but it is news to me (or perhaps a relatively recent innovation) if they are called Buttons in stories other than Cinderella.

One point that does ot yet seem to have been made is that there are only a relatively small number of basic pantomime stories:

Dick Whittington
Cinderella
Aladin
Babes in the Wood
Beauty and the Beast
Jack and the Beanstalk
Little Red Riding Hood
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Puss in Boots
Snow White
Sleeping Beauty

There are probably a few more that are traditionally performed, that I can’t think of at the moment, but the point is that it is very rare for a new story - even a new ‘old’ story, if you see what I mean - to be recast into pantomime form. Part of the point is that everyone should be thoroughly familiar with the basic story (even though the traditional pantomime version of the story may differ considerably from the folk or literary story from which it ultimately derives).

But although innovation at the level of basic plot and main characters is very much deprecated, there is plenty of room for innovation at the level of jokes, songs, and contemporary pop culture references. In particular, the Dame (older female character, traditionally played by a man) is often a well known comedian, who will import his regular catchphrases, and other aspects of the comic persona he is known for, into the story. The Principal Boy (i.e., the male romantic lead, traditionally played by a pretty girl, in tights) might be a female pop singer, whose most recent hits will be worked into the story too.

The last I heard (I must admit that I have been living in America for the last 20 years), pantos remain very popular as a Christmas season treat for children, that parents can enjoy too. I believe that many British theatres (outside of the London West End, and institutions like the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare) can only survive financially because of the money they make from the annual Christmas panto.

6

Sorry, think I got a bit carried away there - I should have left something for other people to add!

Typical timing. :smiley:

Yup, Buttons the name is specific to Cinderella, but the role is not; that’s what I was referring to.

I think you’re right about theatres living off panto money; the tickets aren’t cheap and they make a fair bit from sales of sweets and props too. Some actors live year-round off their panto pay, too.

7

I assume Cardinal’s referring to this thread, where I revealed the existence of Juvenile Jazz Bands.

8

I actually live in the land of the panto and I’ve never understood that!

9

And just to add to the other excellent replies, virtually every theatre up and down the country will put on a panto that lasts for a month or two either side of Christmas and they are hugely popular.

They are also the traditional Christmas gig for fading pop and TV stars, and even some pretty heavyweight actors. Even American stars have been known to get in on the act - Pamela Anderson played the Genie in the Lamp in Aladdin in a small suburban London theatre, Henry Winkler appeared a few years ago in Peter Pan, Mickey Rooney did a turn in some obscure backwater in the north of England and, best of all, Sir Ian McKellan played the Dame ‘Widow Twankey’ in a big production of Aladdin at the Old Vic in 2005. Bit gutted I missed that one.

10

As historically it was consdered “inappropriate” for women to take to the stage , female roles would often be played by a young boy (eg in Shakespare’s time and before )
The Ugly Sisters played by men in Panto today and other “gender bending” roles is also likely a throwback to this.

11

I’ll just add that its now common for big names in light entertainment, comedian, soap “stars” etc. to do panto at Xmas and that all the dads just love it when the fit young woman playing the hero and the fit woman playing the heroine kiss…oh yes !

12

“He’s behind you!!!”

13

Here’s a bit of panto that covers nearly all the points have been mentioned above.

It’s OTT in a big way but everyone is on the same page and the kids LOVE it.

14

So, it’s a bit like how every ballet company in the US lives for the year off the Nutcracker?

15

The Pantomime Horse Is a Secret Agent!

16

From the economic perspective it is, but as a form of live entertainment panto could hardly be more different from the Nutcracker (let alone any other ballet). Panto revels in its vulgarity. Also, I would guess that a far higher proportion of Brits go to a panto at Christmas than Americans actually go to the Nutcracker.

17

One aspect that hasn’t been addressed, other than the OTT acting, is that pantos are, by their nature, pretty amateurish in their values. The sets, makeup and costumes are cartoonish and no attempt is made at realism. Which is good as most of the settings are fairy tale ones.

Historically they are often underrehearsed, and community pantos made up of mostly non-actors. Therefore nobody thinks askance of a performer who corpses, asks for a prompt, or goes out of character to tell the audience they’ve forgotten their lines or address individual audience members. So, even when the panto is a professional production, this chaotic atmosphere is maintained - or even faked.

18

Oh yes - knitting wool wigs, shiny polyester costumes, dubious lighting by drunk technicians - we get panto here, too.

19

Most are based on traditional fairy tales (although Dick Whittington really existed and was Lord Mayor of London in 1398), often adapted to modern conditions with in-joke references to politicians or TV shows in which the stars are (or have) been appearing.

20

…we went to see that one (with relatives - their idea, honest!)…she was terrible…