“Wait a minute”, your probably thinking, “isn’t Pantomime where the actors are silent, and create invisible objects via their hands and overt expressions?”
Well, yes. In America, that is. Pantomime in England, or “Panto” for short, is an entirely different animal- one that needs careful handling and care. Panto is one of those shows where the actors break the 4th wall (the invisible wall that theoretically separates the audience from the story which induces suspended disbelief) and actively involve the audience in the play. Let me explain.
Take Peter Pan, the show we saw, for example. You know when Captain Hook says he doesn’t believe in fairies, and Tinkerbell nearly dies? Peter Pan breaks the 4th wall, appeals to the audience to clap for Tinkerbell, and the place goes wild. Tinkerbell gets her mojo back, and saves the day with Peter.
That may be just one instance in the play I saw as a child, but in Panto, it happens all the time. There is always a dastardly villain who taunts the audience, and a good Panto never goes without a “Dame”: a woman who is played by a . . ahem... flamboyant man. Panto is designed for the whole family, and especially little kids: Everyone boos when the villain enters the stage, and everyone cheers when the heroes enter. Often the characters will banter with the audience (which in our case was all school children) so there were a couple of times when the place was deafening in children’s screams.
Throw in bright and sparkly sets, insert the basic storyline of a ubiquitously known story, add in a few dirty jokes above innocent comprehension, and sell the children glow sticks and twirly light toys- and you get the picture.
Oh, but one more thing. David Hassellhoff. Yes, the washed up baywatch actor with enough attempted career comebacks to make Cher blush.
“The Hoff” played Captain Hook, the villain, and wasn’t too shabby. I mean the two have a lot in common: grizzled swashbucklers well past their best-before date who dote over their bubbly a little too much, and frequently fail in their chase of high-flying ambitions. He is huge over here in Europe for some reason, and was the main attraction of the show. Kaela said that as a Panto villain (from the many that she has seen growing up in Zimbabwe) he did OK. As far as the Dame went, a popular English Dance instructor played the part of a flashy “cabin boy” who was the impetus behind many of the play’s humor of lewder sort.
Despite the cheesy lines, and the even cheesier tongue in cheek acting, the magic of Panto comes from watching the kids around you. The best part of the play was sitting in the small theatre and having hundreds of children scream at Peter Pan- warning him not to drink the poison from Captain Hook. It got so loud, Mikaela and I looked at each other and just laughed. To feel the energy, enthusiasm, and their utter captivation in the story was remarkable. In some ways, it reminded me of what it felt like to be a kid again, and to re-experience the exhilarating magic that my cynicism eliminated years ago.
Speaking of magic and cynicism, lets not forget the fact that Jerry Springer replaced the Hoff as Captain Hook the week after...
Pantomime in England. Nothing like it.
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