Every year, thousands crowd into theatres across Britain to
shout “He’s behind you!” and “Oh, no you didn’t!” – but did you know that the
very British pantomime has its origins in ancient Greece?
The pantomime was a popular form of entertainment in ancient
Greece and later, Rome. A 'pantomime' was originally a group of imitators or
impressionists, accompanied by songs and music. Later, in the Middle Ages,
plays like the Mummers
Play contained many of the archetypal elements of the contemporary panto
such as stage fights, coarse humour and creatures.
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| Poster from 1890 |
The first performance that would resemble a modern panto is
thought to be the 1804 production of Cinderella at Drury Lane, London. Some
dispute this, however, arguing that 1870 was the date of the
first Cinderella pantomime in England.
Panto story lines and scripts are almost always based on
traditional children's stories, however plot lines are almost always 'adapted'
for comic or satirical effect. There are lots of traditions, such as gender
reversal (the principal boy is traditionally played by a young woman, and the pantomime
dame played by a man) and plenty of audience participation. Another tradition
is the celebrity guest star, a practice that dates back to the late 19th
century, when Augustus Harris, proprietor of the Theatre Royal, Drury
Lane, hired well-known variety artists for his pantomimes.
Here are a few West Country versions for you to choose from
this year:
Lisa Riley, Simon Grant, Buck's Fizz' Heidi Manton and Palm
105.5's Ben Moseby appear in Snow White
in Torquay, from the 9th December to 1st January. "Snow White" is
perhaps best known as a Brothers Grimm story which features the magic mirror,
the poisoned apple, the glass coffin, and the seven dwarves. The dwarves weren’t
given individual names as we know them today until Disney's 1937 film.
In Plymouth, Julian Clary is joined by guest stars Keith
Harris, Orville and Cuddles in a modern performance of Cinderella, the theme of which may
well have originated in classical antiquity, with Ancient Greek historian
Strabo recording a 1st century BC tale of the Greco-Egyptian girl Rhodopis who
lost a sandal to an eagle. The sandal was dropped into the lap of the king, who
sent his men in quest of the woman who wore the sandal – needless to say, she
was shortly the king’s wife…
Blue Peter's Peter Duncan stars in Dick Whittington in Exeter, a character based on the real-life Sir
Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423), Lord Mayor of London, a Member of
Parliament and a sheriff of London. Unlike the lead character in the story, a
poor boy in the 14th century who becomes a wealthy merchant and eventually the
Lord Mayor of London because of the ratting abilities of his cat, the real
Whittington did not come from a poor family and there is no evidence that he
owned a cat!
