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Pantomime: Difference between revisions
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Pantomimes are based on a relatively small pool of basic stories, mostly [[Fairy Tale|fairy tales]] and mostly [[Public Domain]]. These include
* "The Babes in the Wood"
* "[[Cinderella (
* "[[Jack and
* "[[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (
* "[[
* "[[Aladdin (
* ''[[Peter Pan]]''
* "[[Dick Whittington
* [[Robin Hood]]
* [[Mother Goose]] rhymes
* "[[
* ''[[
Pantos are traditionally [[Theatrical Productions]], but [http://www.its-behind-you.com/tvpanto.html quite a few] have been recorded for [[Live Action Television]], such as [[The ITV Panto]].
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** Anyone familiar with the career of [[Brian Blessed]] knows that he's absolutely perfect for such roles.
* '''[[Audience Participation]]'''. In particular, a villain will be stalking a hero around the stage, requiring the audience to holler "HE'S BEHIND YOU!" at the tops of their voices. Usually, the villain will duck behind cover as the hero exaggeratedly looks around, then looks back at the audience and says "Oh, no he isn't." The audience dutifully hollers ''"Oh, yes he is!"'' in response. This can [[Overly Long Gag|go on for some time]].
** In particular one character will have [[No Fourth Wall]], the rest of the cast will only [[Leaning
** This also seems to happen whenever a panto actor appears ''anywhere'' in front of an audience: British audiences are prone to collectively getting into spontaneous "No he isn't"/"Yes he is" routines with well-known panto actors even during talk shows, quiz shows, panel shows, and other shows ''utterly'' unrelated to panto. (See Christopher Biggins' two-minute appearance on ''The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year''.)
** Any good panto will leave a pause for the regular jokes. "I didn't come here to be insulted!" (pause) Audience member(s): "Where do you usually go?" If the audience doesn't say the necessary line another cast member will.
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* '''Sing Along'''. Usually at the end<ref> this is usually done by the comedian so the rest of the cast will have time to put their posh frocks on for the final bow</ref>, the victorious heroes will teach the audience a song. Often the audience will be split in half and ordered to compete against each other. This virtually always ends with something along the lines of 'For the first in Panto history, it's a draw' to avoid hurt feelings on either side.
* '''The [[Pantomime Animal]]''', usually a four-legged creature such as a horse or a cow played by two actors in an animal costume.
* '''The Harlequinade''': A slapstick intermezzo featuring characters from the [[Commedia Dell'Arte
* '''[[Shout-Out|Shout Outs]]''' Usually prior to the sing-along. Basically, someone in the cast takes the opportunity to read out the names of the groups in the audience. There's always a Scout troupe or Boys'/Girls' Brigade.
** Or they'll use material from other notable comedy acts, preferrably older for the adults to recognise and the kids to enjoy. Such as [[Morecambe and Wise]]'s version of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HgFLJLY-2o "I'm Wishing"] for any Snow White shows.
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** Sadly, this tradition is being phased out in many places because of [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]. Some shows will have a variation e.g. in ''Aladdin'' where Widow Twankey might throw comically oversized laundry into the audience instead.
* '''Big production''' - even the smallest amateur company will pull out all the stops for their pantomime. [[Captain Obvious|This is not a genre concerned with either realism or artistic minimalism]]. Sets are large and elaborate, the dame will usually have the most magnificent over-the-top dress (and change it every couple of scenes) and there is often a scene involving gunge, foam or other "messy" fun. ''Aladdin'' often features a scene in the Chinese laundry run by Widow Twanky, providing an excuse for filling the stage with suds. Or characters will randomly decide to do some baking, resulting in flour being thrown.
* '''[[Hey, It's That Guy!|Guest stars]]''' - a <s>more recent</s> [[Older Than You Think|trope dating back to]] [[Victorian Britain|the late 19th Century in the UK]], whereby if more than one major panto is running in a town, they will often compete for custom by playing one-upmanship with the [[Hey, It's That Guy!|quality of the cast]]. Once the realm of respected actors (and [[The Sooty Show|Sooty]]), this particular aspect took a bashing during [[The Eighties]] and [[The Nineties]] when [[C
** A more recent variant is the casting of an actor with [[Shakespearian Actors|impeccable dramatic credentials]] (such as Sir [[Ian McKellen]]) as a Dame or another minor character.
** In some productions, the guest stars can turn into the [[Spotlight-Stealing Squad]], but [[Justified Trope|only if they have the skill necessary to hold the audience's attention]].
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