The Golden Age of Pantomime

The Golden Age of Pantomime PDF Author: Jeffrey Richards
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 085773587X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 682

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Book Description
Of all the theatrical genres most prized by the Victorians, pantomime is the only one to have survived continuously into the twenty-first century. It remains as true today as it was in the 1830s, that a visit to the pantomime constitutes the first theatrical experience of most children and now, as then, a successful pantomime season is the key to the financial health of most theatres. Everyone went to the pantomime, from Queen Victoria and the royal family to the humblest of her subjects. It appealed equally to West End and East End, to London and the provinces, to both sexes and all ages. Many Victorian luminaries were devotees of the pantomime, notably among them John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and W.E. Gladstone. In this vivid and evocative account of the Victorian pantomime, Jeffrey Richards examines the potent combination of slapstick, spectacle and subversion that ensured the enduring popularity of the form. The secret of its success, he argues, was its continual evolution. It acted as an accurate cultural barometer of its times, directly reflecting current attitudes, beliefs and preoccupations, and it kept up a flow of instantly recognisable topical allusions to political rows, fashion fads, technological triumphs, wars and revolutions, and society scandals. Richards assesses throughout the contribution of writers, producers, designers and stars to the success of the pantomime in its golden age. This book is a treat as rich and appetizing as turkey, mince pies and plum pudding.

The Golden Age of Pantomime

The Golden Age of Pantomime PDF Author: Jeffrey Richards
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 085773587X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 682

Get Book Here

Book Description
Of all the theatrical genres most prized by the Victorians, pantomime is the only one to have survived continuously into the twenty-first century. It remains as true today as it was in the 1830s, that a visit to the pantomime constitutes the first theatrical experience of most children and now, as then, a successful pantomime season is the key to the financial health of most theatres. Everyone went to the pantomime, from Queen Victoria and the royal family to the humblest of her subjects. It appealed equally to West End and East End, to London and the provinces, to both sexes and all ages. Many Victorian luminaries were devotees of the pantomime, notably among them John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and W.E. Gladstone. In this vivid and evocative account of the Victorian pantomime, Jeffrey Richards examines the potent combination of slapstick, spectacle and subversion that ensured the enduring popularity of the form. The secret of its success, he argues, was its continual evolution. It acted as an accurate cultural barometer of its times, directly reflecting current attitudes, beliefs and preoccupations, and it kept up a flow of instantly recognisable topical allusions to political rows, fashion fads, technological triumphs, wars and revolutions, and society scandals. Richards assesses throughout the contribution of writers, producers, designers and stars to the success of the pantomime in its golden age. This book is a treat as rich and appetizing as turkey, mince pies and plum pudding.

Pantomime: Micah Grey 1

Pantomime: Micah Grey 1 PDF Author: Laura Lam
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1760551163
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
In a land of lost wonders, the past is stirring once more . . . "Pantomime by Laura Lam took me to an exotic and detailed world, peopled by characters that I'd love to be friends with . . . and some I'd never want to cross paths with" Robin Hobb Gene's life resembles a debutante's dream. Yet she hides a secret that would see her shunned by the nobility. Gene is both male and female. Then she displays unwanted magical abilities - last seen in mysterious beings from an almost-forgotten age. Matters escalate further when her parents plan a devastating betrayal, so she flees home, dressed as a boy. The city beyond contains glowing glass relics from a lost civilization. They call to her, but she wants freedom not mysteries. So, reinvented as 'Micah Grey', Gene joins the circus. As an aerialist, she discovers the joy of flight - but the circus has a dark side. She's also plagued by visions foretelling danger. A storm is howling in from the past, but will she heed its roar? The first novel in a mesmerizing fantasy series for fans of The Night Circus, Holly Black and Laini Taylor.

British Pantomime Performance

British Pantomime Performance PDF Author: Millie Taylor
Publisher: Intellect Books
ISBN:
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
"This original anlaysis of contemporary British pantomime addresses the question of how pantomime creates a unique interactive relationship with, and potentially transformative experience for, its audiences." --book cover.

The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi

The Pantomime Life of Joseph Grimaldi PDF Author: Andrew McConnell Stott
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 1847677614
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
A fascinating history of theatre told through the story of Britain's first ever pantomime clown

It's Behind You!

It's Behind You! PDF Author: Peter Lathan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781843307365
Category : Pantomime (Christmas entertainment)
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Dating back to the middle ages, British pantomime has absorbed the traditions of Commedia dell'Arte, Harlequinades, Music Hall and slapstick to produce a unique theatrical tradition. Supported by Iavish archive and contemporary photographs, writer Peter Lathan explores the history and development of panto, discovering where panto gags come from, who is considered to be the greatest Dame of all time and why is it that a girl always plays a boy falling in love with a girl whose mother is a man All our favourite stories are included - from Cinderella and Aladdin to Jack and Beanstalk and Sleeping Beauty - in this ultimate celebration of Britain's unique love affair with panto.

Harlequin Britain

Harlequin Britain PDF Author: John O'Brien
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801879104
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
In the fall of 1723, two London theaters staged, almost simultaneously, pantomime performances of the Faust story. Unlike traditional five-act plays, pantomime—a bawdy hybrid of dance, music, spectacle, and commedia dell'arte featuring the familiar figure of the harlequin at its center—was a theatrical experience of unprecedented accessibility. The immediate popularity of this new genre drew theater apprentices to the cities to learn the new style, and pantomime became the subject of lively debate within British society. Alexander Pope and Henry Fielding bitterly opposed the intrusion into legitimate literary culture of what they regarded as fairground amusements that appealed to sensation and passion over reason and judgment. In Harlequin Britain, literary scholar John O'Brien examines this new form of entertainment and the effect it had on British culture. Why did pantomime become so popular so quickly? Why was it perceived as culturally threatening and socially destabilizing? O’Brien finds that pantomime’s socially subversive commentary cut through the dampened spirit of debate created by Robert Walpole's one-party rule. At the same time, pantomime appealed to the abstracted taste of the mass audience. Its extraordinary popularity underscores the continuing centrality of live performance in a culture that is most typically seen as having shifted its attention to the written text—in particular, to the novel. Written in a lively style rich with anecdotes, Harlequin Britain establishes the emergence of eighteenth-century English pantomime, with its promiscuous blending of genres and subjects, as a key moment in the development of modern entertainment culture.

A History of Pantomime

A History of Pantomime PDF Author: Maureen Hughes
Publisher: Remember When
ISBN: 1844680770
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 187

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Book Description
Each Christmas entire families in the UK troop off to see, what one could almost say is 'the obligatory'. annual entertainment, known as Pantomime. It is a traditional, seasonal way of life for the British envied the world over, and one which only the British seem to understand! Pantomime serves both to entertain and to introduce each new generation to the joys of theatre in the most unique of ways, for this is not a type of theatre one merely watches, but one in which the audience participate – often in the most seemingly boisterous and bizarre of ways. The whole experience is steeped in tradition, traditions which only the British seem to understand, which is probably why we are proud to call it a 'British Experience.'??In A History of Pantomime Maureen Hughes takes a brief look at the history of Pantomime as well as taking a humorous look at some of the above mentioned traditions; she also gives a synopsis of each of the well-known Pantomimes whilst exploring the eccentric world of the characters who appear in them. There is also a short piece on just some of the most well-known and loved of the actors who each Christmas take on the part of Pantomime Dames across the UK, as well as a look at others who have contributed to this magical world of fun and eccentricity. It is thought by some to be frivolous and pointless piece of theatre, but a browse through this informative book and you will soon find that Pantomime is an art form all of its own, requiring the most dedicated and talented of actors/actresses who are prepared to honour and perpetuate this wonderful tradition as it is passed down from one generation to the next.??As seen in The Telegraph and the Sunday Post (Glasgow).

The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat

The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat PDF Author: Enid Blyton
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat" by Enid Blyton. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Remembrance and Pantomime

Remembrance and Pantomime PDF Author: Derek Walcott
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 1466880422
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 154

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Book Description
First produced by Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival in 1979, Remembrance is the story of an evasively eloquent retired teacher who cannot reconcile his anachronistic love of British culture with the evolution of his family and community in independent Trinidad. "A lyrical, audience-pleasing work" (Variety). Mr. Walcott is a poet, and his writing is of a quality we seldom hear in the theatre" (The New Yorker). Pantomime is a fast-paced comedy set in Tobaco. In the hope of entertaining future guests, an English hotel owner proposes that he and his black handyman work up a satire on the Robinson Crusoe story. The play was produced by BBC Radio and London's Keskidee Theatre in 1979. "A brilliantly extended set of variations on the master-and-servant relationship" (The Times). "Gentle wit, immaculately placed irony" (New Statesman). "Dazzling theatrical virtuosity" (Financial Times).

The Routledge Pantomime Reader

The Routledge Pantomime Reader PDF Author: Jennifer Schacker
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000401227
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 516

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Book Description
The Routledge Pantomime Reader is the first anthology to document this entertainment genre—one of the most distinctive and ubiquitous in nineteenth-century Britain. Across ten different shows, readers witness pantomime’s development from a highly improvisational venue for clowning, dance, and musical parody to a complex amalgamation of physical and topical comedy, stage wizardry, scenic spectacle, satire, and magical mayhem. Combining well-known tales such as "Cinderella", "Aladdin", and "Jack and the Beanstalk" with the lesser-known plotlines of "Peter Wilkins" and "The Prince of Happy Land", the book demonstrates not only how popular narratives were adapted to the current moment, but also how this blend of high and low entertainment addressed a whole range of social and cultural anxieties. Along with carefully annotated scripts, readers will find detailed introductions to all of the collected pantomimes and supplementary materials such as reviews, reminiscences, and a host of visual materials that bring these neglected entertainments to life. The plays collected here provide a remarkable perspective on the history of sexuality, class, and race during a period of vast imperial expansion and important social upheaval in Britain itself—essential reading for students and scholars of theatre history and popular performance.