It's time for Panto!

Thanks to Flighty for the reminder that it's That time of year. Yes, indeed it's Christmas time and in Britain, that means it's panto time! Pantomimes are a tradition in British theatres. They are nearly always based on well-known children's stories or fairy tales. Some of the most popular pantomimes are "Cinderella", "Snow White", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Aladdin", and "Peter Pan" and a variety of these stories are acted out up and down the country in professional and amateur productions. A very odd (but hilarious!) feature of panto is that the lead male role is played by a woman and the lead female roles are played by men. The costumes are usually very elaborate and colourful and the whole production can be quite impressive. Panto is fantastic family entertainment and a great way to introduce the joy of theatre to children. I still remember one production of "Cinderella" we took our sons to see and how thrilled we were to see real Shetland ponies being used to pull the carriage on stage. Sadly, it looks like that particular bit of panto tradition is ending because it breaches rules on health and safety and animal welfare. The professional productions almost always star some well-known TV celebrities. Sometimes they are actors from British soap-operas or from Australian soap operas. A few years ago, a couple American actors (Patrick Duffy and Henry Winkler) came over to take part in pantomimes. Henry Winkler is returning this year (his third year) to star in a panto as Captain Hook in a panto in Milton Keynes and another American actor, Steve Guttenberg, is doing his first panto this year as Baron Hard-up in the production of Cinderella in Bromley, Kent. As much as I enjoy the professional pantos and seeing famous actors, I think the amateur pantos are often the best ones. The Big Panto Guide :find a Pantomime in the UK 2008-2009 Milton Keynes Theatre: Henry Winkler, Andy Ford and Louisa Lytton (Eastenders, Strictly Come Dancing, and The Bill) star in Peter Pan The Churchill Theatre: Steve Guttenberg (Police Academy, Three Men And A Baby, Cocoon), Helen Lederer (Absolutely Fabulous), Laura Hamilton (Nickelodeon), Mark Evans (Troy from High School Musical at Hammersmith Apollo), Tucker and David Langham & John Barr (As the Ugly Sisters) star in Cinderella