ok i think i can do that

aaaand you can wear stuff depending on what panto you are watching, ie. Peter Pan, girls can wear fairy wings (tinkerbell) boys can carry a cutlass (pirates) or vice a versa. Last one I went to some people were wearing those blinky head things, sticky up in the air on an alice band but thats just annoying when the lights go down.

Maybe I should be in the audience this go around as I really don't have much of a clue about this panto business ....

Jen - you don't have to have a clue, honestly, and probably even less so with this lot. If you fancy a go jump in there, Panto is always chaotic, someone always fluffs their lines, no-one cares and some one will get a pie in the face. Erm, panto is meant to be performed to children but the kids are always dragged along by much more enthusiastic adults.

Darn right, Holly. One of the last times I went to the panto was with Mum's WI mob. I seem to remember Mum shouting 'No' very loudly when someone on stage asked the audience 'We all like children, don't we ?' (I was 18 then)

As for the characters:
Cinderella is the heroine, forced to wear rags and do the cleaning. She isn't allowed to go the the Prince's Ball.

Baron Hardup is her father. Cinder's mother died some time ago so the Baron is now married to

The Wicked Stepmother. She married the Baron for his money and title. Hates Cinderella but doesn't want the Baron to know.

The Ugly Sisters. Daughters of Wicked Stepmother by previous marriage. They get all the nice frocks and give Cinderella a hard time. They are invited to the ball and manage to ensure that Cinders doesn't have a chance of going.

Buttons: bootboy at Baron Hardup's home. Friend of Cinderella and usually the best male role (apart from the Ugly Sisters). Usually the one who makes sure that Cinders has a go at trying on the glass slipper (see Handsome Prince)

Fairy Godmother: appears to tell Cinderella that she shall go to the ball. Turns a pumpkin into a coach and mice (or rats) into white horses to pull it. Also provides nice frock and glass slippers for Cinders to wear to ball. As always, there is a catch. Cinderella must leave the ball before midnight, when the transformations wear off.

Handsome Prince: throws ball; meets Cinderella and falls in love. Finds the glass slipper she loses when she runs off at midnight. Goes around town trying to find woman that shoe will fit.

Hope that helps non-UK fforumites.

Skiffle, no offense but it's the concept of panto we are having a little trouble with, not the story of Cinderella.

Jen did ask someone to outline the various parts for her - and she was referring to the panto.

Pantos have a tradition of their own which doesn't always match the written story. I don't remember any film or story version of 'Aladdin' which featured Widow Twanky, but you wouldn't see a panto without her.

To a certain extent, panto is the last survival of music hall. There is often a chorus, who dance and appear in crowd scenes such as markets or balls. They may get a biggish number to themselves. There may be a song or two along the way, quite often one that the audience can join in with. In a big theatre, you might get the words written on a large board. This sort of thing can take place in front of the curtain while scenery is being changed behind it. The Dame, or another comedian will usually do this bit.

Depending upon the talent and budget available, there may be other acts like fireaters, jugglers, acrobats or slapstick worked very loosely into the storyline. If a well-known personality is hired for a big, professional panto, a scene may be tailored around them. I saw a panto many years ago starring Wayne Sleep, the pint size dancer. One scene was a chase secquence, in which Wayne repeatedly bounded across the stage in long jumps.

As mentioned before, the audience are encouraged to join in. Some of the characters, especially the dame and the villain, will talk directly to the audience and try to get them on their side. The audience will be asked to boo and cheer, and asked for help in finding someone else who is on the stage - hence "he's behind you !". Also the actor/audience exchange of "Oh, yes it is", "Oh, no it isn't" (Exactly what 'it' 'is' and 'isn't' might be vary from panto to panto, not just story, but production).

Pantomimes are about fantastic costumes, special effects, music, joining in, bad puns, slapstick, men dressed as women, innuendo and happy endings. Pantos are fun

They certainly sound that way, Skiffle. Thanks for the info on the various parts and the general info on panto. Things are now a little clearer.

I'm with you, Nicky, I want to be eeeeeevil.

Got room for an accounts bod?

you know, we can *really* perform this is we want to...

You see, we have this wonderful new contraption called: The Chat Room...and if we stay with this new one, we can do "actions" like:

Cinderella tries on the glass slipper

or

Anastasia rips the sash from Cinderella's waist in a fit of jealousy.

That kind of thing...


So what I propose is that we get the script put together and then figure out a time when we can all meet in the chat room and put on the production. We can even have a printout of the script in front of us. And the audience members can throw in the comments.

Could be fun!!!!

Well If I can't be an Ugly Stepsister (which I would be SOOO good at) then an I be one of the lovely young ladies who dance with the Handsome Price? Or an apprentice Fairy? Or anythng, really. I just wanna be in it and have some fun.

Who can I be?

All the other guys are step-sisters and old-women, I think...



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Those who forget the pasta are doomed to reheat it.

If it is going to be in the chat room then unfortunately I'll be unable to attend. If it isn't then can I please be the Lord Chamberlain?

By the way, am I right in assuming that most (if not all) of you know that the "glass slipper" was originally a "fur slipper", but that the French word "vair" was mistranslated as if it had been "verre" (if I've got the spellings right...) instead? If so, then how many of you _ even those of you who are already in the guter _ knew that in the really original, pre-bowdlerised version of the folk-tale, it was the young ladies who gave the Prince their "fur slippers" to try on until he found one that fitted him perfectly... and that this was apparently ("Ahem!") meant as a (shall we say "anatomical"?) euphemism?

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"God rot Botchkamos Istochnik!"

Simon I like you gutter version of Cinderella
;-)

It's not my version, it's (according to wherever I read about it...) the traditional story as it was before it got "cleaned up" for publication, honest!

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"God rot Botchkamos Istochnik!"

lol

Well, here's my thought. We've all got to write the script before it can be 'performed' anyway. So anyone who may have trouble making it to the chat can write their part and we'll get a generic (i.e. Simon_1) to perform your part as you are 'temporarily unavailable'. How about that?

As for who people are being cast as...

The list so far looks like this:

Cinderella
Buttons
Prince Charming
Fairy Godmother
Stepsister1 Ptolemy
Stepsister2 PSD
Stepmother
Baron Hardup
Audience Holly Daze, Carla, Splat21
Popcorn Seller KT
Fairy2 Kaz
Fairy1 Tracy
Lord Chamberlain Simon
Cinders/Buttons cat Minsky
Prince's aide
Wicked person Nicky
Wicked person Jen
Accountant Bluebottle

Actual role descriptions may change, if people are unhappy with them.

Also, I've still got the following people who need to tell me who they want to be:

Skiffle
Sarah
Intrigue
Auntsassy
ilovespike
Dante
Jon
AAC

Nicky, Jen, does one of you want to be the stepmother? Or does someone else want to be her?

Answers on a (virtual) postcard please...



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There's a hole in my creativity bucket and it's all leaked out.

I'd love to be wicked stepmum, but I'm more likely than not to be firewalled at work for the whole production.

Btw, have we picked a date yet? And might it be a weekend?

We haven't picked a date yet, and it'll only work if the majority of the acast can do it. So it may not happen that way.



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There's a hole in my creativity bucket and it's all leaked out.

Better idea: Send that Generic to do my job, once term starts, so that I can continue spending this much time in the fforum.

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"God rot Botchkamos Istochnik!"

OK Nicky, you can be stepmum since you replied first.

Simon, I wish we could but generics are only really useful in the text world....

By the way, are we still going ahead with the programme? If so I need a sort of rough description of what people look like - hair colour and length
(and if you normally wear it up/down). Clothing obviously is the costume so that's up to me. <wicked grin>

I'll get a test one made up for you all to see with the two fairies if Kaz and Tracy let me know...



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There's a hole in my creativity bucket and it's all leaked out.