Booo, hisss!

I went to a pantomime tonight (oh no you didn't!). No, I did really (oh no you didn't!). Oh yes I... wait a minute, you're not going to be doing this all night are you? (Oh yes I am!). Please forgive my blog, I think it's still a little excitable (oh no I'm not). Sigh.

I don't go to pantomimes very often (oh yes you do!)... look, enough already please? Just let me get through this (he's behind you?)... please? (ok, sorry). Thank you. Where was I? Ah, yes, including tonight I'm roughly averaging a pantomime ever decade or so. The first I saw was Jack And The Beanstalk. I can't say I remember too many details about it, other than that I was quite impressed with the Giant, whose costume was particularly well done. That was later followed up by Cinderella, a production which, to put it kindly, strayed somewhat from the traditional formula, featuring as it did a Cinderella who attended the rave in her ruby Doc Martins. Got to love the nineties.

Tonights production was of Snow White and was back on somewhat more familiar territory, replete with an Evil Queen, a dame, a beautiful princess, a handsome prince, the requisite number of dwarves and a gorilla. Ok, I'll allow them a little leeway with the gorilla, since it gave the audience an excuse to yell you-know-what. And yell they did. Without realising it, we'd chosen to attend on the last day of school and there were several classes from different schools in attendance (a fact that was pointed out to them at the end of the show, giving them the opportunity to boo and hiss one another) - as a result there were an even greater number of kids in the audience than there might otherwise have been. We noticed this when we sat down and realised we were a small island of adults surround by a sea of children on all sides. Most of the kids took the show in the proper sort of spirits and joined in with some fervor, but there were a few who looked as though it were all a bit beneath them (they'd reached that age), and who had the audacity to turn around and glare at us when we booed and hissed perhaps a little overenthusiastically. Tough luck kids, grown ups get to boo and hiss as loud as they want - now shush and enjoy the rest of your teens.

I do wish I'd picked up a programme because one of the dwarves looked a little familiar and I can't seem to find a list of the cast online. The dwarf in question was basically the Doc character (or Exposition Dwarf, since he seemed to be the only one with much acting experience was thus had most of the lines). I think he may have been an Oompa Loompa once but I can't be certain.

Anyway, 'twas all rather good fun and I thoroughly enjoyed myself (can I?). Oh go on then - just this once.

(Oh no you didn't!)

Happy now?

(yes, very)