Blogmas (Day 9) | A Night at the Pantomime
Every year since I was four, we have been going to the Pantomime at the Nottingham Playhouse. Every year, on the last Friday of November, we get on our glad rags, sparkly nails and shimmery eye shadow in preparation for the glits and glamour of a good old fashioned panto. Since 1998, I have been attending the Nottingham Playhouse pantomime and I wouldn't miss it for the world. You'll love the fun, the humour, the music, the set and the costumes, no matter how old you are.
This year, it was 'Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood'. I've seen this a few times (as you can imagine) over the years, but every single time, they somehow manage to make it completely unique. Besides the odd shout outs such as 'it's behind you', 'oh no you're not' or just a simple 'boo', this year there was something new to say, every time a character said 'the Sheriff of Nottingham' the audience shouted 'oh no, not the Sheriff of Nottingham' and the audience never forgot the rule!
The dame was brilliant, this year, she was Nanny Noggins, she looked after the Sheriff's nieces when they came to stay after their father was 'lost in battle'. Full of ad libs, typical panto jokes and adult innuendos, it didn't ever fall short on the humour front.
The skill to keep the crowd going, even when mistakes happen, comes with experience, and the cast has plenty of that. At one point, they had all of the children on their feet doing the actions and singing along to 'Baby Shark'. Now, I'm 23 and I have no idea what 'Baby Shark' was, let alone knowing the actions to it, but it was fun to just watch the cast on stage, as well as seeing all the children enjoy themselves, bopping up and down with huge smiles spread across their faces.
They did appeal to the older audience though, staying bang on trend with the popularities of the cinema, they did a compilation of Queen songs. Including 'We Will Rock You' and 'Radio Ga Ga' and if you're a Queen fan, you'll know that they come with actions as well, so while the adults were sat around wondering how their children knew the actions to 'Baby Shark', the roles had reversed with this one. Children in front of me turned around, wondering what I was doing, but they soon caught on and eventually, the whole theatre blew the roof off signing along, dancing and clapping their hands.
The costumes, as they are every year, were brilliant. Full of flamboyancy, not one of them looked out of place for panto. The set was full of glitter, hidden doors and painted in such a way that it created perspective for the audience, making a drawing of a castle look miles away. The team are really very talented, both the actors, singers, musicians and backstage staff. I never leave that place disappointed and that's what it's all about, having fun. Nottingham Playhouse, for the 20th year in a row, didn't let me down.
Nottingham Playhouse will be performing 'Robin Hood and Babes in the Wood' up until 19th January 2019, so it's not too late to grab some tickets.
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Have you been to the pantomime this year? What did you see? Where did you see it? Was it your first time going? Let me know and I will see you tomorrow!
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