Sometimes friends sight at me with sympathy when they put a question to whether I’m on the annual panto patrol. But it’s a great art form that creates a special bond between performers and audience – and helps keep many theatres in the blackBehind the scenes at Hackney Empire’s panto – in picturesWhen Augustus Harris took over London’s Drury Lane theatre in 1879,he embraced pantomime with gusto, understood its commercial potential and decided to start thinking big. Very big: he wanted casts of thousands. He brought 100 children on the stage in The House That Jack Built, and just to build it in front of the audience’s eyes; when he staged Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,he reckoned that 40 was a totally inadequate number and gave every thief a further 10 apprentice thieves. Related: Penguin cancans and endless bananas: the life of a panto dancer Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com