Is that Puss in Boots — or Larry the cat?
8 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT PANTO
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The pantomime season is coming to an end. People from abroad often find it hard to grasp the meaning behind Britain’s long tradition of pantomime.
‘It’s simple,’ explains an expert. ‘The man is played by a woman and the woman is played by a man and the child is played by an adult and the horse is played by two men. What’s so hard for you to understand?’
The expert is played by a donkey.
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The word ‘ Pantomime’ comes from the Norwegian ‘Pan’ meaning ‘Celebrity’, ‘Om’, meaning ‘ Out of ’ and ‘ ime’, meaning ‘work’.
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PaNTOmIme is traditionally a place where yesteryear’s forgotten stars still find a warm welcome. This year finds Lord Lucan back on the boards in Puss In Boots at the Barchester Playhouse, opposite former quiz-show host Noel edmonds, who, he says, ‘is an n absolute darling’. 4 IN The 1970s, Lord ‘ Lucky’ Lucan was very much a household name, but then things went quiet. What’s he been up to since then?
‘I returned to my first love, which has always been the midafternoon cookery series on ITV,’ says Lucan. ‘ Then I cohosted Lucky’s Wee
Small hours Show on BBC Radio Bursley, which was tremendous fun. and I now have my own phone-in programme on Talk TV. It’s wonderful, because I’m never recognised.’ 5 aNN WIddeCOmBe, edwina Currie and Neil hamilton have all appeared in pantomime.
They follow in a long tradition of former politicians who have embraced the art of panto. They include Jeremy Thorpe as Widow Twankey at the London Palladium in 1988 and Jeffrey archer as ali Baba at the Grantchester Odeon in 2015. This year, former Tory mP Peter Bone can be seen in Peter Pan at the Pavilion Theatre, King’s Oak, starring as the Crocodile.
many of today’s most prominent Conservatives are already queuing up for roles in next year’s pantos. matt hancock has signed up to play Buttons opposite Liz Truss as Cinderella at the midwich empire, and Rishi Sunak has been provisionally booked to appear as dick Whittington at the Theatre Royal Windsor, work permitting. 6
ThIS year’s rehearsals for Cinderella at the Rummage
Regent are rumoured to have grown fractious. Two of Britain’s most acclaimed celebrity animals, dilyn the dog and Larry the Cat (below), are reported to be no longer on speaking terms.
‘It all began when Larry stole dilyn’s interval refreshments — a bowl of water and a Bonio,’ says their co-star, dame Joan Collins, who plays Widow Twankey. ‘ To get his own back, dilyn spiked the custard pie with dog food. and then things started to turn really nasty.’
Afterwards, dilyn is said to have grown upset after discovering that Larry is on twice his fee.
‘But that’s as it should be. after all, Larry is by far the more experienced performer, and he still plays a vital role in the downing Street operation, whereas dilyn is just a has-been,’ says a source close to Larry.
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ThIS year, the duke and duchess of Sussex staged a pantomime at the all Saints Theatre in montecito.
‘Our core purpose in producing Cinderella is, quite simply, to create impactful programming to focus on uplifting communities by offering meaningful initiatives to strive to create impactful programming to focus on uplifting communities,’ reads their 80-page ‘ purpose statement’.
With this in mind, the story has been adapted to meet the expectations of a kinder, more caring society. Cinderella now has two Beautiful and Loving Sisters, who are happy to share the housework.
The archewell Foundation provides Cinderella with a responsibly sourced dress to wear to a charity ball. There she meets Prince Charming, and together they collaborate on a successful book and TV tie-in to promote physical and mental wellness throughout the world.
Future archewell pantomimes include ali Baba and The Forty Caregivers, Beauty and The Beauty, and mediumSized Red Riding hood and misunderstood Wolf.
8 mICheLLe mONe has accepted the title role in ali Baba and The Forty Thieves at Southport next december. ‘I’ve been rehearsing intensively for it these past few weeks and I already know my lines,’ she says. ‘Wherever I go, passers-by chorus “Oh yes you did” — and I reply, “Oh no I didn’t.” ’