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Wednesday, December 28, 2022

What are pantomimes and why are they important at Christmas?

   From: https://pixahive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Street-Play-in-Abu-Dhabi-4909-pixahive.jpg

 Merry Christmas to you all!

I hope you've been good enough and I hope the red plump man has brought you tons of presents.

Today I'm writing the traditional Christmas blog entry and this time I have decided to feature pantomimes (or 'pantos', its short clipping).

Outside the UK, a pantomime is "any of various dramatic or dancing performances in which a story is told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers." However, in the UK, pantomimes are a bit more specific and, as seen on the online Merriam Webster, a pantomime is "a British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances." Yes, when the Christmas season is around the corner, it is mandatory to see a pantomime at the theatre. They typically begin in December and are usually on until New Year's Eve. But, what are the typical characteristics of British pantos?

  • Reinterpretation of a fairy tale (Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Aladin,...)
  • They star some jaded celebrities (or some still unknown celebs)
  • Cross-dressing (men dressing as women, or the other way round)
  • High camp, that is, exaggerated or artificial parodies
  • Audience interaction: the audience is expected to take part in the action of the play and will play an active role by telling a character something, or warning about some forthcoming dangers... There's even singalong (audience should sing songs with the characters of the play)
  • Even if ideally thought for children, these pantos are more often than not enjoyed by grown-ups
  • Tradititonal elements of fairy tales: good-hearted protagonist, villain, fairies, animals...
Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I haven't had the opportunity to attend a Christmas pantomime event myself, but if I could, I would definitely check one out! Here you have the link to some of the most popular pantos this Christmas, involding Aladdin, Peter Pan, the Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and many more fairy tale characters

If you want to learn more about Christmas pantomimes, here you have a very interesting link with plenty of information...

Happy New Year!
See you again in 2023!