|
 It’s
very rare I put pen to paper in response to an article, however I
felt I just had to write a few words in respect of the superb
pantomime article written by my dear friend and Past King Rat, Roy
Hudd OBE.
It
was quite eerie to read because Pantoni has been developing the
precise writing policy for the genre for the past ten years. It
all started following a conversation with Mr John White, the
retired manager of the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil. John and I came
to the same conclusions Roy so eloquently stated; in that there
are very few performers being generated by television who have the
experience required for appearance in pantomime. Moreover we were
becoming even more concerned that too greater proportion of the
budget was being allocated to the top of the bill/s and thus
endangering the overall quality of the production itself. I
realise of course that a No1 1500-2500 seat venue probably has a
longer run, can charge a higher ticket price and therefore in such
cases we must presume are able to turn in a healthy profit, even
though, (if we are to believe everything we read in the nationals
or hear on the grapevine?) star line up costs are probably
enormous. I realise there is pressure from various quarters upon
the pantomime producer to provide celebrities and that the
criteria will vary enormously, but I have always asked myself; (1)
Do we actually need all those names on a bill? (2) Could we
generate better profits with less or in some cases no names at
all? Can we by virtue of reducing celebrity costs improve the
overall quality of the production as well as profit for producer
and theatre?
I
admit that we have been guilty over the years in engaging
celebrities from soaps such as Neighbours, Home & Away and
even Gladiators. However, Lucinda Cowden for instance, (Melanie
from Neighbours) is a fine actress and is this year appearing as
Peter Pan for us for the fifth time, and Natalie Imbruglia seems
to have done well since she appeared as Snow White for us in
Canterbury back in 1993.
It
was also interesting to read Nick Smurthwaite’s interview with
Howard Panter in The Stage and to note the engagement of American
Stars such as Patrick Duffy and Henry Winkler. Does this casting
policy tell us that
celebrities
for pantomime who can headline outright are thin on the ground?
Ironically we approached Mr Duffy’s management back in the
90’s at the height the popularity of Dallas, there was
considerable interest but unfortunately his filming commitments
over December/January did not permit him to consider coming to the
UK. Now we are in 2006 I do ask myself the question whether kids
would know about ‘Dallas’ and the great part he played in it?
Certainly adults will and of course they pay for the tickets.
This
brings me to the main target of the pantomime audience, the
children. Having been inspired as a child watching the wonderful
productions at the Bradford Alhambra by the late King of
Pantomime, Francis Laidler, in my view pantomime should be the
faithful ‘on stage’ creation of the fairytale. Woe betide the
producer who does not present the hen that actually lays golden
eggs in Jack & The Beanstalk or omits to transform
Cinderella’s rags into a beautiful ball gown within a flash! We
all know how critically honest children can be!
And
so what does the future hold? Roy refers to technology and there
is no doubt that the digital age is going to create somewhat of a
revolution in the way pantomime is presented. Digital projection
is now a must and provides an opportunity to make transformations
and enchantment even more spectacular. I sincerely believe that
focus must, as Roy said, be on the book, but on original music
too, something we feel is essential and now have over one hundred
original pantomime songs in our library.
As
for pantomime comedians; I consider myself very fortunate indeed
to have worked with some of the masters of the art; Bernie
Clifton, The Grumbleweeds, Billy Pearce, Little & Large and
the genius the late Spike Milligan to name but a few.
As
far as finding great comics for the future is concerned I was
somewhat comforted at discovering a new seam of comedic talent who
are highly experienced in communicating with the audience. Dick
Whittington was right; “the streets of London are paved with
gold”. One of our
comedians, Ben Langley, who started out as a Covent Garden street
performer will this season appear for the fourth consecutive year
at the
Octagon
Theatre in Yeovil. Last May Ben suggested I meet him in London to
look at a street performer with a view to casting. I was most
impressed and booked his friend for one of our productions, but I
was also very surprised to find the wealth of other talent working
that day. This is most certainly a location for potential new
pantomime talent. After all such performers have to be excellent
to survive, for they need to possess the know-how to attract their
audience before they can even begin to entertain them! Now
that’s public communication! Should I be revealing this source
to our competitors? Why not? As Roy says; “we must protect the
only entertainment that is truly part of our theatrical
heritage.”
Of
course pantomime will continue to embrace change, but as producers
we must do our part to preserve the genre and the great routines
of the past and pass them on to new purveyors of slapstick and
mayhem and at the same time not loose sight of the essential
elements that has made pantomime survive into the “Digital
Age”; I believe they are Quality, Enchantment, Fun, and as
always Good Value for money. That ticket price just has to be
affordable and realistic. We pledge to do our bit Roy!
David
Lee |
