PETER PAN PANTO PLAYED FOR FUN
Expect audience participation, local references in comic tale
Local director Stephen Andrew grew up in the United Kingdom, where pantomime is a wildly popular Christmas theatre tradition, so he wanted to be part of one here, too.
“There are tons in England. Everyone goes,” said Andrew, who directs Peter Pan: The Panto for Kaleidescope Theatre this week.
“The beauty of them is that smaller theatre companies use the shows to generate operating revenues for the year.”
Pantomimes have been performed in England since the early 18th century as comedic and musical riffs on classical stories. They developed to include largerthan-life characters, political and local news jests, slapstick comedy and plenty of audience participation.
“The audience will be participating right from the very first moment of the show, booing Captain Hook and cheering Peter,” said Andrew, who plays Hook.
The former broadcast journalist and current executive director of the Kidney Cancer Foundation of Canada said Peter Pan is a later addition to the pantomime form because it only more recently became part of the public domain.
“I remember seeing Aladdin at the London Palladium and going to the theatre in Canterbury,” said Andrew, who grew up in Kent and moved to Canada in 1973.
Last year, he directed a Snow White panto for Kaleidescope that was a hit.
He said Peter Pan, based on the story by J.M. Barrie, is a tale with lots of potential for fun.
One of the first things he did was rework the First Nations characters.
“I couldn’t see keeping those kind of stereotypes in,” said Andrew, who didn’t want to give away what he did with the story.
He did say the show is chock full of local references and jokes. Bike lanes and sewage treatment are shown no mercy.
“If it’s a happening issue in Victoria, it’s in the show,” said Andrew. “We poke fun at all the municipalities and there’s needling of local politicians.”
Andrew said the show has a great cast, including Jeffrey Stephen from the Victoria Operatic Society as Peter, Cati Landry as Wendy, Scott Clarke as Dame Nana and Astrid Braunschmidt as Tinkerbell.
Her son, Tristan, will also be in the show as one of the Lost Children of Neverland. Maria Manna makes a guest appearance as the Singing Mermaid.
“It will be a very fun show,” Andrew said.
Peter Pan is not the only panto in town this season.
St. Luke’s Players is staging a Cinderella panto until Jan. 1 at St. Luke’s Anglican Church and there was a Sleeping Beauty panto at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney on Dec. 22.