Hey! Its that time of year again, when Christmas draws nearer and nearer! We prepare by putting up the tree and decorations of all sorts, but too help make you Christmas mor enjoyful, i have put together this christmas guide, of Christmas foods, drinks and gift ideas!
Enjoy..........
YE OLDE CHRISTMAS PANTO.
The annual visit to the Pantomime is one of the mainstays of the British family Christmas. A mixture of song and dance, drama and comedy, and usually featuring well-known TV stars or personalities in at least one of the lead roles, the typical Pantomime is unsophisticated entertainment designed to appeal to all ages.
Whichever story is being portrayed ( and there is a strict traditional repertoire of stories to choose from) there is a set pattern and set characters in all pantomimes. Every pantomime has two principal characters - the Principal Boy and the Principal Girl (the hero and heroine of the tale.) Until very recently it was traditional for the Principal Boy to be played by a girl, in doublet-and-hose and high boots, with her (his?) hair tied back in 18th century fashion. The fashion for pop stars to earn a little extra Christmas cash playing the hero in pantomime has, however, led to a marked decline in female Principal Boys.
The Dame, however, is still ALWAYS played by a man, and is the focal point in most pantomimes. Usually the hero or heroine's mother, the Dame is instantly recognisable, in outrageous costumes and wigs (a new outfit for each scene is normal) and over-the-top makeup. "She" plays a lot of her role directly to the audience and holds frequent dialogues with the children.
The villain of the piece is greeted with boos and hisses (and indeed expects it, and will encourage the audience if they are slow to join in) and at the end of the pantomime often ends up being married off to the Dame - as punishment! Other essential characters are the Fairy - who has to help the hero and heroine out of whatever predicament they find themselves in, with a little magic ( and flashes, bangs and smoke) - and the Brokers' Men, who may appear in various other guises such as woodcutters, huntsmen or sundry henchmen, who provide the comedy slapstick and organise sing-alongs with the audience (to allow scenery to be changed behind the curtain!) The dancers, thinly disguised as "villagers," seem to work hardest of all the cast as they are on and off the stage at frequent intervals, singing along as they dance : their numbers are usually swelled by children from local dance schools playing the "village children."
The basic plot is much the same, whatever the actual story : hero (or heroine) falls foul of local Bad Guy villain and needs rescuing from their fate by heroine (or hero) with the help of the Fairy. In between times, the dame explains much of the plot in her dialogues with the audience, the Broker's Men and the Dame manage to meet a ghost (much shouting of "It's behind you!" and "Oh no it isn't!" "Oh yes it is!" "Oh no it isn't !" "Oh yes it is!" etc. etc., to the delight of the children) there is frequently either a kitchen or a wallpaper-hanging slapstick scene with water, flour etc., everywhere, the hero and heroine sing a couple of love duets (to which the children in the audience don't listen) and the Brokers' Men engage the audience in conversation and sing-along songs. The villain gets his come-uppance, the final scene and curtain call is invariably an elaborately costumed Wedding and everyone - including the villain and the Dame - lives happily ever after.
Aladdin : loosely based on one of the 2001 Arabian Night's Tales, the pantomime Aladdin lives in China with his mother the Widow Twankey (the pantomime's Dame.) The villain is his uncle, the wicked Abanazer, and the Fairy is replaced in this case by the Genie (or even two genies - the Genie of the Ring and the Genie of the Lamp) and the Broker's Men character is represented by Aladdin's sidekick Wishee-Washee. The name of the Princess varies from production to production (traditionally Badroubaldor but not so often nowadays) and after a series of misadventures with the magic, genie-containg lamp, Aladdin eventually rescues and marries his princess, is promoted to Rich Prince with the help of the genie, and they live happily ever after.
Cinderella : originally a French fairy tale, Cinderella is perhaps the best-loved of all the pantomime stories. Two Dames this time, in the form of her Ugly Sisters, with the added bonus of a Wicked Stepmother; Cinderella's father, the hapless Baron Hardup, isn't such a villain as his new wife. There is a real fairy, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, and Cinderella's only friend is Buttons. This one is a classical rags-to-riches story : Fairy Godmother waves her magic wand so that Cinders can get her hearts desire ("You SHALL go to the ball!") but at the stroke of midnight it all goes pear-shaped and she flees in tatters again. But she loses one shoe (which for some reason never quite explained DOESN'T revert to its former state along with everything else) so Prince Charming comes to find the girl who the shoe will fit. Happy ending again - of course the shoe fits Cinderella, and she and Prince Charming are married to general rejoicing.
Babes in the Wood : unusually, there are two sets of heroes/heroines : the Babes (Jack and Jill - usually played by children from local drama schools) and Robin Hood and Maid Marian. The villain is of course the Sheriff of Nottingham, the Dame is the children's nurse and there is a fairy and two "Broker's Men" characters. Jack and Jill are the orphaned nephew and niece of the Sheriff, who stands to inherit their fortune if they die. Cue for foul deeds - they are taken off into the woods by the Broker's Men / Huntsmen, who once more let them go.
The Babes get lost in the forest (Sherwood Forest, of course) and are covered with leaves by the birds while they sleep. They are rescued by Robin Hood, but both he and the children are captured and thrown in the dungeon by the Sheriff, who then blackmails Maid Marian into promising to marry him in exchange for Robin Hood's freedom. The Fairy helps Robin escape, he fights and defeats the Sheriff, releases the children, hands the Sheriff over to the Nurse, marries Maid Marian, and they once again live happily ever after.
Snow White : this traditional panto requires seven actors of below average stature to play the seven dwarves, or the story simply doesn't work. Once more the villain of the piece is a wicked stepmother, the Broker's Men are replaced by Huntsmen and there is of course a Prince lurking in the background..... Snow White is taken off into the forest by the huntsmen who have orders (from the Wicked Queen / Stepmother) to kill her. Of course the Huntsmen take pity on her, fake her death and let her go off into the forest. Enter the Seven Dwarves. Snow White moves in with them and all goes well until the Queen consults her Magic Mirror ("Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?") which tells her that Snow White is, which gives the Queen a clue that Snow White is not in fact dead..... after several attempts the Queen succeeds in getting Snow White to take a bite out of a poisoned apple, Snow White falls down dead, is placed in a glass coffin for the Prince to find her and wake her with a kiss. Big wedding - they live happily ever after.
These are the four most popular pantomimes - in theatres in most British towns and cities you will find at least one of these being perfomed every Christmas-time. Alternatives are Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Robinson Crusoe and other traditional tales, but the Big Four reign supreme. If you get the chance, do buy a ticket, and go along and join in - you can't just watch! - boo and hiss at the villain, laugh at and with the Dame, sing along with the songs, see the reactions of the children, and above all, have a thoroughly enjoyable time.
