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 The
Little Theatre's Annual Pantomime show played to a packed
house on all the four days that it ran at the Museum Theatre. The
theme - 'The elves and the shoemaker'. True to tradition,
there were the good guys and the bad guys; popular songs, topical
humour, satire, audience participation and guest appearance by a
popular entertainer (Actress Revathy this time).
Based in Sicily, the play was marked by some very good performance
by 'Twinkle Toes' played by Manoj Nair, 'Duke Shifty
Eyes' played by Raghu and the mint obsessed 'Chef
Munchmore' played by Freddie Koikaran. 'Luigi',
the shoemaker, his wife 'Mamamia', son 'Carlos', 'Princess
Sabrina', who falls in love with Carlos and Twinkle Toes, Sabrina's
Chaperone were the good guys and Duke Shifty Eyes, along with 'Don
Doberman' played the baddies.
 The
play was directed by Yog Japee, who made a surprise appearance
towards the end. Though the play seemed to drag on a bit towards
the end, the 'lift karade' number really lifted the audience mood.
Scripwriter and Producer, Aysha Rau, had included quite a
few elements of topical humour namely, the reference to tamil films,
PMs with Italian connections, the lagaan like situation in the final
scene, where the Duke agrees to waive tax incase his team loses
the game, in this case Kabbadi. Good triumphs over evil, Duke Shifty
Eyes becomes a buddhist and all's well that ends well.
| What
is a Panto all about? |
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In the British theatre, pantomime is a Christmas or
New Year entertainment. Its origins can be traced back
to the 16th and 17th century Italian improvised comic
drama called the commedia dell'arte. Growing out of
the harlequin spectacle of the 18th century and the
burlesque of the 19th, pantomime retained such elements
as an actress playing the part of principal boy and
an actor playing the dame.
Many of the plots were based on folk tales collected
and retold by the French writer Charles Perrault.
His book 'Mother Goose's Fairy Tales' published in 1697
included classic stories like Puss in Boots, Cinderella,
Sleeping Beauty and Red Riding Hood. New elements
got added over a period of time, like a mix of slapstick
and double entendre.
Some of the comedy routines have become traditional,
they are eagerly awaited by audiences who know them
just as well as do the performers. The theme of most
pantos bring us face to face with our greed, prejudice,
cowardice and dishonesty, and force us to laugh at ourselves.
In the end though, virtue is rewarded, true love conquers
evil and everyone lives happily ever after.
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