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The Great British PantomimeDateline: 17th January, 1999 Box office records have been broken by pantomimes in all parts of the country this year. The Palace Theatre at Westcliffe-on-Sea, which is due to close in March, had an audience of over 22,000, the largest ever at this 86 year old theatre, for Peter Pan, whilst the New Victoria in Newcastle-under-Lyme also broke records with A Christmas Carol, which played to over 21,000. The Stage, which attempts to cover every professional panto in the UK, has reviewed over 260 shows to date, with more to come. A huge number of amateur companies produce their own pantos, and their season runs as late as the middle of February. There are, in fact, quite a number of amateur groups which exist purely to produce pantos:
There is a significant number of professional companies which specialise in Panto. The most well-known is E&B productions, which was the subject of a series of TV documentaries last year, but there are others, some of which have homes on the Web:
What is it that creates such a demand for pantos? Tradition Never underestimate the power of tradition! Going to a panto is part of the traditional British Christmas. For many people it is the only time they ever set foot in a theatre, and they go because pantos and Christmas are inextricably intertwined. And that's not surprising when we consider just how long a history the panto has:
It's for the kids Pantos are aimed at children. And they're a great introduction to the theatre for them, because they have comedy, drama, music - all the magic of the theatre - and an opportunity to hiss and boo at the villains, scream at the top of your voice (and be encouraged to do so!), and you even get to sing along! But they're also a chance for adults to relive their childhood. For a number of years in the early nineties I worked as sound engineer for an amateur group and never ceased to be amazed at the way so many adults in the audience joined in the shouting and cheering, hissing and booing, often drowning out the kids! Pantos are changing in some ways: the first pantos I worked on at the Sunderland Empire and the Theatre Royal in Newcastle during the seventies had comedians and well-known singers as their stars - Peter Goodwright, Frank Ifield, the Krankies, Barbara Windsor, David Jason, and Bill Maynard were just some of the stars who appeared in them - and now it's Gladiators and soap stars, but the format remains unchanging. The good old British panto still has loads of life left in it, and long may it remain that way! Articles Indices: |
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