A Two Shades of Blue production.
By Two Shades of Blue.
Directed by Cath Howdle.
Performed 17th to 19th January 2014 at the Château de Bettembourg.
Panto returned to Luxembourg this January as the intrepid Two Shades team took our very own … very silly … version of “Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood” over to the continent! You joined us on a magical journey to Olde Nottingham Town! The townsfolk were poor and hungry, the scheming Sheriff was dreaming of ways to get richer and the lovely Maid Marian and her brother and sister Jack and Jill were in grave peril! But there was hope – in the form of the dashing Robin Hood! With songs and silliness, Merry Men and medieval magic, sweeties, slapstick and lots more besides, this really meant only one thing ….
IT’S PANTO TIME!
Traditional British panto is a thing which has to be experienced to be properly understood. It’s set in a world which is probably best described as “topsy-turvy”: Robin Hood is played by a girl, the delightful and adorable Nursey; Nanny Nelly is played by a bloke in a frock, and the poor souls in the chorus end up playing about 59 different parts … with a different costume for each one!
The first thing to understand about British panto is that it’s nothing to do with “pantomime” in the sense of a silent performance. Instead, it’s a lively family show, based on a fairy tale or folk story – with plenty of jokes and songs.
In fact, it is fairly difficult to imagine anything less quiet than the average panto! The reason for this is that it’s the audience which drives the action forward – usually by shouting very loudly! It’s the boys and girls who’ll warn Robin Hood that there’s a guard behind him, who’ll boo and hiss at the evil Sheriff of Nottingham, and who will save the twins Jack and Jill when they are lost in the deep dark woods of Sherwood Forest.
From the moment that Fairy Bluebell welcomes everyone to Olde Nottingham Town to the splendidly cheesy pop song after everything ends happily, panto is a joyous couple of hours of silliness and colour. When I was growing up in the UK, panto was a treat, adding a bit of sparkle to the grey days of December and January. And coming to a performance as a grown-up is also a great deal of fun, as all the best pantos have a bunch of jokes which only the mums and dads are going to get!
Jack and Jill image © 2014 Louise Sherlock