Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip to the panto…but how did this marvellously eccentric British genre of theatre come about?
Pantomine literally means ‘all kinds of mime’ and it’s generally accepted it was modelled on the early Masques of the Elizabethan and Stuart days. The role reversal of the Dame being played by a man and Principal Boy played by a girl probably evolved from the Tudor ‘Feast of Fools’ presided over by the Lord of Misrule. So it goes back a long way.
Well, the Stagestruck version of Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood has no Lord of Misrule, but the dastardly Sherriff Chump of Nottingham, and Merkela, the wicked witch, are the bad guys, and Robin Hood with the beautiful Maid Marion on the side of the angels. Add Nursey as the Dame, and Boris and Theresa as the Babes, and you have a hilarious mix of traditional with a few modern references, in a show for all the family.
This classic tale is to be presented at Teatro Cardenal Belluga, San Fulgencio, by this much loved local theatre group on 6th, 7th and 8th December – curtain up at 8.00 pm. The show is suitable for children.
Tickets are 8 euros and available to buy at: The Card Place, Benimar, The Post Box Dona Pepa (Quesada), Leaf’s (opposite the Budapest Restaurant) and Cards and More at La Marina. You can also reserve on line via stagestruck.show@gmail.com or call 625 883 387, the ticket hotline.
Net proceeds go to Alzheimer’s Society and other local charities.
