YET ANOTHER GOOD IDEA, SON!

I don’t really see any pantomimes in production, so maybe you have all caught on to this idea, but if you haven’t, here goes…

The other evening after dusk, I saw a young girl walking along the road with her parents, and she was wearing light-up shoes, which were flashing as she walked. I immediately thought that this type of footwear would be a great accessory for fairies in pantomimes… not the Christmas-tree-type fairy, but the kookier characters.

However, a search on the worldwide web brought up the light-up shoes illustrated, which could work for the Christmas tree fairy, or hows about Cinderella?

 

I haven’t priced these items, and I reckon they don’t come cheap. You might find some techie who could make light work of creating some for you Ouch! Light-up shoe accessories are available, and a Google search will bring up some suppliers. youtu.be/LlCyJI9LpGU – shows you the construction basics.

I also came across this interesting use of glowsticks, illustrated left. Maybe an idea for a monster, an alien, or some enchanted beings. glowsticks.co.uk – has a full range of glowsticks and novelties.

YEAR BY YEAR

Why do so many amateur drama/operatic societies promote their shows with posters that do not include the year in the date of the performances?

Presumably people keep programmes, flyers and even posters from their shows in a keepsake box, or whatever. They show them to family and friends over the years, and they struggle to remember what year a certain production took place. Also, when one looks at a society's website there is no knowing whether or not the poster promoting the forthcoming production is actually out of date. Often, further investigation… which shouldn’t be necessary… proves that it is. Seems like a simple thing to just add a year, after all it’s only four digits, and will be for some time to come.

Why do so many amateur drama/operatic societies not keep their websites up to date? I digress…

HAPPY NEW YEAR...
to all our reader!

That's me on the left!

Time goes so quickly. One minute your in the prime of life with your whole future ahead of

you, and the next minute… sixty seconds have gone by!

Here's my all-purpose horoscope...

The coming year is likely to present challenges; these trials are when your true character will show. Trusted friends can provide assistance in particularly pressing situations. Make use of the skills you have to compensate for ones you lack. Your reputation in the future depends on your honesty and integrity this year. Monetary investments will prove risky; inform yourself as much as possible. On the positive side, your chances of winning the lottery have never been greater!

LET THERE BE…

This morning, whilst shopping for kitchen towels, washing up liquid, and the like, at my local Home Bargains store, I noticed that they had the following for sale, at very affordable prices…

8” Mirror Ball

6” Disco Ball

10” Disco Ball

Sound to light Traffic Light

Battery-operated Strobe Light

Presumably they were aimed at the Christmas party market.

I have suggested the use of a mirror ball effect at least, in some of my scripts, and whilst I know next to nothing about stage lighting, and a ‘proper’ lighting man would probably say that these are mere toys, it did occur to me that they might be the kind of thing some small amateur dramatic societies with a tight budget, would be able to afford and use.

This was purely an observation. I have no connection whatsoever, with Home Bargains. They claim to have 250 stores throughout the country.


IVAN IDEA

This is a clip from the Russian film ‘Zolushka’, which I understand, means, ‘Cinderella’.

ARNIE                    Do you speak Russian?

BARNEY                I have a smattering. Well… just one word, actually!

ARNIE                    Oh… and what’s that?

BARNEY                ‘Nyet’! Do you know what that means?

ARNIE                    No!

BARNEY                Neither do I!

Written by, Anton Fridlyand, and directed by Semyon Gorov, it was made for television, and shown on Channel One Russia, in 2003.

My regular reader will know that as far as pantomimes are concerned, I have bemoaned the move towards including what passes for music in this day and age. However, here we have what could be described as an incongruous mix of period feel, with a fairly up-to-date, boisterous backing. In this instance however, the performers are actually presenting a parody of the pop video. They are deliberately just that little bit over-enthusiastic, a touch too energetic, and at times, appear to be taking the whole thing slightly too seriously. I have mentioned the mock-operatic nonsense on ‘Glee’, and it pleases me no end that the musical numbers in ‘Zolushka’ strip away that pretentiousness perfectly.

It would be very satisfying to see this on stage, in upcoming pantomime productions! The difficulty is that to do it this way you really need to know what you’re at, and have the skill and talent to make it look quite close to the real thing. There is I suppose, a comparison with the girls at the seedy Kit Kat Club in the musical ‘Cabaret’, where the requirement is for actors who are good enough to come over as being not very polished, or proficient. "Rosie, Lulu, Frenchie, Texas, Fritzie... Und Helga. Each and every one a wirgin!"

The very striking lady in the red hat with dove decoration is the Ukrainian singer and actress, Taisiya Povaliy, who plays the part of the Matchmaker. The Simon Callow look-alike on her left is brilliant. I’m not really sure what the ugly sisters, Brunhilda and Dafna, are up to in the cut-away shots, but I can hazard a guess.

There are lots more excerpts on YouTube, but they are not in any order, and they are sans subtitles. I would very much like to see the whole flick, from start to finish, dubbed into English.

 

There is a film with the same title, which was made in 1947, available in the complete version on - youtu.be/yqL9DEZM_4M

- and with subtitles (which have to be switched on). In both productions, I particularly like the image of Cinderella in her rags. In my opinion, it gives her much more character than the more traditional image, as portrayed by Twiggy at the Casino Theatre, London, in December 1974 (see right).

The costumes, sets, and art direction are outstanding in both versions of  ‘Zolushka’. I am fully aware that it is not really possible for amateur companies to get close to the design standard of the sets and props, but with a bit of begging, borrowing and wheeling and dealing, maybe companies could get close to the look of the costumes.

Na zdrovyeh!

CLASS ACT #11

Gene Kelly and his younger brother, Fred, featured in the 1954 Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer production, ‘Deep In My Heart’, which was a biographic movie about the American composer, Sigmund Romberg.

Also in the film were José Ferrer, Merle Oberon, Walter Pidgeon, Jim Backus, Jane Powell, Rosemary Clooney, Vic Damone, Cyd Charrise, and Howard Keel.

Fredric Norbert Kelly was a ballroom dance instructor to the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. He had been recommended to Buckingham Palace by General Eisenhower while serving as a sergeant in the US Army.

Simple sets, and colourful costumes, which should be easily achievable in the amateur theatre.

The girls decorate the scene... and they smile!

Yes, the O'Brien Brothers have tons of talent, but the dancing could be simplified almost to pure movement, providing it's presented with pizzazz, and the application and enthusiasm remain the same.

Great effect at the end!

That's entertainment!

SKIN DEEP

Well, dear reader, I’m back… glibber, profounder, adorabler, and charismaticker than ever! I wish I could admit to having been on some exotic escapade, like sailing round the Arctic Circle on a banana boat, but no! Some of my time has been spent sending out e-mail messages to amateur drama and operatic groups, informing them about my most recent scripts… ‘Yankee Doodle’, and ‘Puss In Boots’. I haven’t done any marketing for a couple of years, so I though it was about time to tackle that.

This task has entailed looking at amateur drama and operatic groups’ websites, and it’s certainly opened my eyebrows! I shall be reporting my observations for quite some time. To those who might recognise themselves… if you don’t like my opinion of you, you can always improve! 

From pictures posted on websites, I have noticed that the Ugly Sisters in the pantomime ‘Cinderella’, are becoming very much of a muchness. The trend appears to be for them to wear bright pink, green, purple, or blue wigs, and the scary make up, and the nonsensical costumes I have already referred to when dealing with the subject of Dames.

They look like this, no matter what the style of the production. Fancy dress suppliers have Ugly Sister wigs, which are as described above, so that is what they wear.

They go for image, rather than character. In fact, there is no character, it’s all façade. They are not ugly sisters, they are sisters dressed, coiffured, and made up outrageously to appear in a pantomime, and have no contact whatsoever with reality. Some look grotesque. They come on stage and do an act, which is not the same as acting.

The day isn’t far off when Hollywood will make a horror film about an unhinged Ugly Sister, terrorising a neighbourhood with an enormous nail file. The creepy, crawly close-ups of her bizarre, begreased boat-race will make the viewers’ vests unravel.

After all, there has already been…

‘THE CLOWN AT MIDNIGHT’ (1999), where seven teenagers are stalked by a murderous clown while refurbishing an old opera house. ‘SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT’ (1984), in which a young tormented teenager goes on a murderous rampage dressed as Santa Claus, and ‘THE GINGERDEAD MAN’ (2005), featuring an evil yet adorable Gingerbread man who comes to life with the soul of a convicted killer.

So, watch out for ‘SCUGLY SISTER SLAYER’. If it does happen, I want a cut and a credit… “From an original idea by G. Wizz”. Remember, you read it here first!