Mother Goose

I got a call yesterday from friends who were going to the pantomime and wanted to invite me along. They have a little girl, so that made it okay. You can't really go unless you have kids (Is it illegal? It might be), so I seized the opportunity. It was my first panto since I was in short trousers. Considering that most of the cultural references were designed to appeal to 10 year olds, I think I did okay.

man dressed as woman ... check
man dressed as goose ... check
man dressed as woman dressed as dalek ... check
flying man ... check
flying goose ... check
flying dalek ... unfortunately not, cos they can you know as we found out this year
man stilt walking included for no obvious advancement of plot ... check
light-saber battle (ditto) ... check
dalek (ditto) ... check
"look behind you" moment ... check (but woefully under-used)
"boo" moment ... check (great fun)
cute tiny kid or live animal on stage (the "ahh" moment) ... strangely absent
bird flu joke ... check
X-Factor references (it's Chico time!) ... check
humiliation of audience member ... check (highlight!)
multiple marriages at finale ... check

The moral of the story was that fat people (i.e. mother goose) shouldn't try and become thin because they are beautiful the way they are (and the goose will stop laying golden eggs). Unfortunately this message would have had more impact had not the heroine, the fairy and the dozen dancing girls not been gorgeous and stick-thin.

The songs were good. We had "Show me the way to Portabello" (aka Peter Kay) and they updated the Proclaimers song:

I would walk 500 miles,
And I would walk 500 more,
Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles
To see that goose once more.