It is undeniably coat weather; John Lewis adverts are much more likely to make you cry than usual, and humdrum food wrappers are adorned with Santa and snowflakes. It’s Christmas.
What we now know and love as British pantomime originated in Italy, with commedia dell’arte – mask wearing, traveling street actors improvising fearlessly humorous performances. The medium has undergone massive transformation over the centuries that followed, from the intertwining of commedia approaches with the utilisation of music and myths to the introduction of the role of the pantomime dame in Victorian Britain, which marked perhaps the most notable transformative shift in panto’s evolution.
Berwick Kaler, veteran pantomime dame and recipient of an honorary degree from The University of York, writes, directs and stars in Aladdin and the Twankeys this season. It debuts at York Theatre Royal on December 12th and marks Kaler’s 35th year in York panto. The production promises to be both a roaring success and the embodiment of true British pantomime tradition. Kaler’s pantomimes draw crowds nationwide and begin selling out to the masses as early
as April!
Kaler has come to epitomise this approach to the genre, the tradition of pantomime, and rejects further transformation of the performance art form, attributing any decline in interest in panto productions to those relying increasingly on celebrity inclusion and lewdness, productions which he asserts to The Independent: “deserve to die”. Though his productions are surreal departures, a far cry from the original tales, he goes on to express the importance of connection with the entirety of his audience, of everyone being in on the joke.
But pantomime by nature undergoes constant renewal and development, hence the diversity of family-friendly shows coming to York this winter.
First, there’s what may be described as the antithesis to Kaler’s approach to the genre. The Grand Opera House’s modern, celebrity pantomime Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, starring Emmerdale and Hollyoaks cast members Adele Silva and Rob McVeigh alongside high-profile theatre regulars, premieres on December 13th.
Robin Simpson’s Cinderella, a pantomime classic, premiering on December 7th is set to be performed in York Theatre Royal’s ballroom. Greatly complemented by this apt, beautiful choice of setting, it is sure to be dazzling. Prepare to be “swept along by the magic and mystery” of this perhaps more serious take on Christmas theatre.
So, why not support the tradition and spend an hour or two in a world of fairy tales, comedy and music this Christmas? If anything’s going to get you in the Christmas spirit, it’s panto. Yes it is.