Christmas Pantomime

   An English Christmas Tradition is the Pantomime of Panto.  It is a theater production usually based on a familiar Fairy Tale and falls somewhere between a musical, a comedy routine, vaudeville, and a lot of fun.  It is aimed at an audience of children but with inuendos and slightly provacative dancing and jokes to keep the adults accompanying them entertained.  The audience participates and often have the same lines repeated back and forth.
   It was a theater experience unlike any I can think of in America.  Very fun. lots of participation including booing and cheering and yelling back and forth between the characters audience.  The main female character part is usually played by a man. In the show we saw today  he is a TV and Radio star.

 

 I have heard about the Panto since last year so decided to go to the Preston Guild Hall to see "Jack and the Beanstalk."  The Smiths went with us and adults were probably a tenth of the audience as they bring school classes.  The tickets were almost $30, but it was good fun and we were glad we went.  Definitely an English memory.

the voices and dancing were excellent and it was filled with 80's songs such as "Thriller" and "I Need a Hero"   There were 5 main dancers and then a bunch of kids.  Really quite the show.