Pantomimes are a popular event that occurs each year from early November right through to January. Families from all over the country gather to watch their favourite Panto Preston way or one local to where they live. Most people will have seen at least one pantomime throughout their life, but here are some lesser known facts:
- In almost every pantomime you will see a shimmery fairy of one description or another and an evil villain. It is actually tradition for the fairy to enter from stage right and the villian to enter from stage left. Although you could class this as superstitious tradition it was first constructed in relation to the right side signifying heaven and the left, hell.
- Another stage superstition is that the last few lines of the pantomime are never spoken during rehearsals and are heard for the first time, out loud, on opening night. It is deemed bad luck for them to be spoken before this.
- You may have already noticed that the principle boy role is always played by women and the first principal boy role was in fact played by Eliza Povey in a Drury Lane production of Jack and the Beanstalk in 1819.
I wonder what pantomimes will be around this year for us all to enjoy.
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