Earlier this month, the Joburg Theatre, South Africa’s Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood kicked off Panto Season 2016 when it opened on Saturday 5 November. Back at home, casts across the country are busy adding the finishing touches to their productions as rehearsals near their final stages with Oldham Coliseum set to start the UK’s festivities on Saturday 12 November.
It seems odd that, with casts already practising their lines and learning the ropes, venues should still be announcing their big names, but of course casting is a complex thing and sometimes producers have months, if not years, of negotiations with certain stars before they pull out and leave them hunting for new talent.
All eyes have been on the New Wimbledon Theatre for some time. Just who would join Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff and Priscilla Presley in the venues long line of US stars? Well, this year First Family Entertainment has ditched the States and stayed at home, casting choreographer and ex-Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Philips as their headliner alongside experienced panto performers Matthew Kelly and Tim Vine.
With panto back at the Palladium, comparisons will naturally be made between the two London venues and one can’t help but think that, after last year’s disappointing Peter Pan, even this talented trio might struggle to find their audience with Julian Clary, Paul O’Grady, Amanda Holden et al just down the road at what was once the Home of Panto.
But from the two largest pantos in London to perhaps one of the smallest. Having re-opened earlier this year, Tara Arts in Earlsfield presents the latest in its line of fusion pantos: Bollywood Jack. With both Bollywood and pantomime utilising romance narratives, stock characters and musical numbers aplenty, the SW17 venue celebrates both cultures in its first festive show in the venue’s 100-seater new space.
Further afield, the Theatre Royal Windsor has finally revealed the remainder of its Jack and the Beanstalk cast with Anthea Turner playing the Fairy alongside Timmy Mallett’s King and Jason Gardiner’s Fleshcreep. These stars join Windsor regulars Kevin Cruise and Stephen Blakeley whilst celebrity Paul Nicholas joins the Arts Theatre, Cambridge’s regular Dame Matt Crosby as King Rat in their production of Dick Whittington.
Other regulars recently confirmed include Ray Spence at the Customs House, South Shields, Michael Bertenshaw at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East and Dan de Cruz in the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich’s Sinbad the Sailor.
Of course, Croydon’s regular panto goers will need to look elsewhere for this season's fix of festive fun. With Fairfield Halls now closed, Pauline Quirk has taken the reins and Q Productions will produce Aladdin starring CBeebies stars Abe Jarman and Jane Deane at Waddon Leisure Centre.
Having presented one of the only pantomimes in history in which the Principal Girl proposes to the Principal Boy, the Lyric Hammersmith is yet again leading the way with news of comedian-cum-composer-cum-actress-cum-musician Vikki Stone’s casting as Abanazar in what looks set to be a Superhero inspired rendering of Aladdin. Whilst King and Queen Rats are somewhat interchangeable, and every now and again a female Fleshcreep rather than Venus Flytrap or Poison Ivy makes their way into Jack and the Beanstalk, female Abanazars are an incredibly rare breed.
Brian Blessed nearly played a male Carabosse with a 'K' in 2010 before withdrawing for health reasons and Nigel Peever played the role at the Doncaster Civic in 2011, but in general the gender of Villains is often fixed firm. There is, of course, no real need or reason for this.
One could argue that Abanazar fills the role of Aladdin's absent father and that the casting of male Villains and Principal Boys, likewise female Villains and Principal Girls, avoids any sense of the character appearing as a sexual predator. But then what about the layering of a male Villain and a female Principal Boy? Or the cross-dressed Ugly Sisters in Cinderella? What about the recent trend of cross-dressed Wicked Queens and Evil Stepmothers? Not to mention the fact that almost every panto plot generally involves the Villain kidnapping and imprisoning the principal character; be it Abanazar and the Princess in Aladdin or frequently Carabosse and the Prince in Sleeping Beauty.
There really is no argument for Villains having to be a particular gender and it is about time that they too evolve much like their Benevolent Agent counterparts which have seen male Fairies and Spirits take to the stage in recent years.
Cross-dressing is one of many pantomime conventions, but like most, it does not have to be employed. Leah Bell has played a female Dame in the Empire Theatre, Consett's pantomimes for six years, female Wicked Stepsisters will grace the stage in the Palladium’s Cinderella and of course 90% of pantomimes choose not to cross-dress the Principal Boy anymore.
A cross-dressed Dame is, however, somewhat of an expectation and this year Nottingham audiences won’t get to see Anthony Hoggard in the second Dame role at the Playhouse. That accolade goes to Darren Southworth, who will play the Empress of China alongside John Elkington’s Widow Twankey.
There are also changes afoot at panto powerhouses the Oldham Playhouse and York Theatre Royal. During rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty Fine Time Fontayne broke his ankle and so Simeon Truby will replace him for this season with AJ Powell taking on Martin Barrass’s Ugly Sister role alongside Berwick Kaler in York Theatre Royal's Cinderella after Barrass suffered injuries from a motorbike accident. We wish them both a healthy full recovery and look forward to seeing them back on stage next season.
It is with great sadness that this panto season will be bereft of talented producer Ian Liston, who passed away in October. Liston produced his first pantomime in 1995 and his Hiss and Boo company went on to produce numerous pantomimes at venues including the Hall for Cornwall, Truro, Riverfront Theatre, Newport, Queens Theatre, Barnstaple and Garrick Theatre, Lichfield. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.
With only one more panto news blog to go before the end of the year, it's time to grab a pen and put some dates in your diaries. This year’s Panto Day will be held on Friday 16 December and, to celebrate its sixth year, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London is hosting a whole variety of events.
On Tuesday 13 December, I’ll be in conversation with Toyah Willcox about her career playing myriad roles from Principal Boy to Wicked Queen and then, on Panto Day itself, the Museum will host a pantomime study day including an appearance from a much-loved and well-known Dame.
The V&A will also be screening pantomimes from the National Video Archive of Performance, including Aladdin starring Ian McKellen, Hackney Empire’s Aladdin, Jack Tripp and Roy Hudd in Babes in the Wood and Berwick Kaler’s Dick Turpin. And if that’s not enough, Clive Rowe’s Mother Goose costumes from the Hackney Empire's 2014 production will go on display alongside Billy Dainty’s Sarah the Cook outfits, Berwick Kaler’s 30th anniversary candle snuffer and posters for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Birmingham Hippodrome and Aladdin starring Adam Faith in Bournemouth.
But, before then, make sure you come along to my free lunchtime lecture "The Twelve Dames of Christmas: A History of Pantomime through its Great Dame" on Wednesday 7 December at 1PM in the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre.
I look forward to seeing you there!