At the festive season, it seems only appropriate that we
acknowledge the Pantomime Dame who, although traditionally a man, brings
laughter to us all and brightens our lives J
Although often regarded as a merely humorous form of entertainment over the Christmas period, Pantomime incorporates the vital ingredients of good battling evil and emerging triumphant. To this end, the Dame plays an important part not only in engaging audience participation with slapstick routines and trickery towards fellow performers, but also in making us laugh at their outfits and hairdos which are outrageous. They have a bawdy sense of humour and are extrovert characters.
What a fun and timely heroine to choose, Patricia! Christopher Biggins is apparently the 'queen' (cough) of the Dames in Britain and can command great sums to appear in panto. Or so I've heard.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea for a list! I like the conceit of cross-dressing/gender confusion in theatre, because at the back of your mind it makes you think about what makes a woman a woman (and a man a man) and how artificial a lot of our social boundaries are.
ReplyDeleteA timely posting. Dare I say it ... I adore pantomimes. I don't get the chance to see them any more as my grandchidlren are far too old and sophisticated to go to see them. Think I'll stay a kid at heart!
ReplyDeleteReally interesting choice Patricia. I haven't been to pantomime in years but it's a wonderful old tradition. It is fascinating to think about gender differences and it's been the subject of loads of films including one of my favourites, Tootsie with Dustin Hoffman. I'm also keen to see Albert Nobbs with Glenn Close which I understand is very thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI also love Panto Season! Watch out, he's behind you! The last panto I went to was a panto/play at the Duke's Theatre in Lancaster. It was an excellent version of The Wizard of Oz.
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