THE traffic cones lined up along Glasgow’s Renfrew Street opposite the Pavilion Theatre gave the game away. It’s still only November, but panto season has arrived. I suppressed my inner Ebenezer and proceeded on my way to work.
I must be getting soft in my old age, but, sitting at the lights at Renfield Street, I began to see beyond the minor traffic inconvenience that will stretch into January caused by lines of parked coaches disgorging panto parties into the wintry street.
Instead, I have been thinking of the happiness and excitement of school groups and others having their Christmas day out at the pantomime, and the anticipation that builds up to such an occasion. For many children it is their first introduction to theatre, and the magic of this, as well as the educational benefits, should not be underestimated.
As I waited for the lights to turn green, I was transported back in time, to the Brownies and our annual festive trip. The venue was the King’s Theatre. It was Stanley Baxter in drag, brilliant music and song and dance. It was slapstick and jokes you kind of knew were risqué but you were too young to understand why. It was sweeties thrown to the audience that you never caught, but that didn’t matter. It was brilliant.
And it was also pocket money to buy a bag of King’s Oddfellows. Does anyone remember them?! I’m ashamed to confess that I was really quite old before I twigged that you could buy these exotic aromatic confections in other shops, not just at the King’s Theatre.
Happy days, and we’ve been going to a pantomime every year since our son was old enough to say: “Behind you.” (I promise that no more bad panto gags will be harmed in the making of this column.) But how often do we spare a thought for the cast of such shows, actors who have auditioned back in May and who have been rehearsing for months? How often do we consider the stamina, energy and utter professionalism they must maintain in entertaining audiences, day in day out?
The point of theatre, I suppose, is that not doing so is a sign that the performance is doing its job, that the actors have assumed a new mantle and transported their audience to another world.
I was in such another world last week, when I had the privilege to join the HND performance and acting students of City of Glasgow College at a rehearsal for their upcoming pantomime.
I’m glad to report that the panto traditions we all know and love are alive and well and being honed by the actors of the future.
I had set sail for a land of pirates, of swashbuckling sword fights and parrots with patter. The talent, energy and enthusiasm of the students knew no bounds and their singing, dancing and acting were superb.
I’m certain their performances of Robinson Crusoe (at Glasgow’s Tall Ship from Tuesday to Thursday this week) will be a huge success and that their young audience – and the older panto-goers, too – will enjoy every minute of the pirate extravaganza-aarrrr.
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