Panto

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Christmas is a great time of year to get hitched; everyone’s in the mood for some serious partying and the levels of merriment and cheer are high. Matt Lucas wed his partner Kevin McGee recently and celebrations had a decidedly festive feel to them. The happy couple decided to celebrate the cementing of their union in panto style with a themed reception for 400 guests, all dressed to the nines in pantomime outfits.

The star of hit BBC show Little Britain turned up in a fabulous Aladdin outfit, while his new hubbie cut a dashing figure as Prince Charming. Never one to miss an opportunity for some camp dressing-up, Elton John was also there with gusto as classic panto baddie Captain Hook. Matt’s long-time professional partner, David Walliams, was in attendance for his best mate’s big day, as was Fairy Godmother Barbara Windsor. The union was a stamp on the couple’s three year relationship and other big names to enjoy the fabulously camp celebrations included Will Young, Dale Winton and David Furnish.

So, all this talk of the wedding celebrations got me thinking about panto and how it relates to celebs. Pantomime has long been associated with the festive season and is seen as great old-fashioned entertainment for all the family. Its roots date as far back as Ancient Greece and it became truly popular during the reign of Augustus in Ancient Rome. Pantomime in England was, around the 17th century, considered a low form of opera. It developed to become a form of entertainment that addressed topical issues in a comical manner (satire). This type of pantomime had died out by the end of the 19th century though and it soon became pretty much what we know it to be today.

Traditionally performed at Christmas for family audiences, the modern day pantomime consists of plenty of mild innuendo and is often based upon traditional children’s stories with instantly recognisable characters. Panto conventions are well recognised and audience participation is integral, e.g.: “he’s behind you”, “oh no he isn’t”, “oh yes he is” and so on. But one panto convention which has only established itself in much more recent times is the pantomime’s ability to attract the most D list of celebs.

Those who wear the tag of celebrity somewhat precariously seem to be consistently drawn to the great British Christmas institution that is the pantomime. Ex soap stars whose sparkle has faded somewhat often crop up as Mother Goose or Aladdin on a stage near you. In fact, even those who are enjoying real acting success and recognition seem determined to get involved in a bit of cross-dressing for the kids. Take “Barry off Eastenders” for example. So eager was Shaun Williams to appear in panto that he quit Eastenders when they wouldn’t let him. Seems the call of Weston-super-Mare and a Dick Whittington outfit was just too strong for Shaun, so he packed his bags and headed off on the road towards panto fame and fortune. Since then he seemed to fade out of the public consciousness somewhat, until his television resurrection on BBC’s magnificent Extras, courtesy of comedy kings Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

But not all those who are drawn to panto are enjoying as much commercial success as Shaun Williams was at the time (you can’t get much bigger in television land than lead storylines in the one of the country’s two biggest soaps). Ex Emmerdale actors and actresses are renowned for popping up in panto after their soap careers have come to a halt, think Malandra Burrows (Kathy Glover), Cleveland Campbell (Danny Daggert) and Stuart Wade (Biff Fowler) to name just a few of many. Appearing in panto is obviously a good little earner for ex-soap stars and ensures that their faces remain out there, although to a lesser extent of course. And perhaps this is the attraction; soap stars can have a rest from the exposure that being on tele up to five times a week brings, while not losing out on those all important pennies.

You can’t help feeling though, that some “stars” should simply steer clear of pantomime, being that they have no proven ability to act or even to entertain in some cases. Here I am mainly referring to reality TV stars. Spencer Smith and Cameron Stout from Big Brother (series three and four respectively) being just two examples that spring to mind. Now I’m not saying that they are bound to be bad, but they have no acting experience and this is where panto has changed and seemingly lowered its standards. It seems all you now need to do to qualify for panto is appear on television. And because you now no longer need to have a discernable talent to appear on the box, it follows that you also need no talent to appear in panto.

There have always been pantomime stalwarts who are well-respected in their field of course (think Christopher Biggins for example), but it is the names that create the hype and publicity. There is one recent and notable exception to this trend of employing “faces of the moment” (rather than actors) however, and that is the venerable Sir Ian McKellen. Well respected as an actor, his appearance in blockbusters such as Lord of the Rings, X Men and The Da Vinci Code have also made him a familiar face and name in popular culture.  So he fits both criteria; he can act and his name is a big box-office draw. And perhaps this marks the beginning of a turnaround for the Great British Pantomime.

As Biggins says: "For many years, great actors have poo-poohed panto but they absolutely should be doing it. It's not just about bringing children - and adults - into the theatre for the first time, but about ensuring they have such a good time they want to come back for more."

So, whether you went to see some guy off Big Brother Three or a knighted actor in panto this Christmas, the most important thing in the end is that you enjoyed it and had fun. You can have fun playing online bingo here at Mecca and then use your winnings to ease the pain of January’s empty wallet! Join Mecca Bingo and come back soon to read the next Mecca Bingo Celebrity Column, for news and views on all the latest celeb goings-on.

Happy New Year!