To be panicking about offering some panto entertainment...

[Arseendofadonkey]

Help! Posting here for traffic.

Every year (for the last 25 years or more) our entire family (my parents, my siblings, our kids and grandkids) attend an afternoon panto followed by a meal out and in the last 12 years by a big party back at my house. My mum pays for the panto as a Christmas present to us all. My dad pays for the party food and drink (they are divorced but still great friends).

This year, the only day we could get together is the day the local panto is having a day off so my mum tasked me with putting together a panto for us to perform together at my house. She transferred money to me to pay for props etc which I put in a separate account and my menopausal brain immediately forgot.

I have just been reminded. Sigh.

How can i put together even the most basic 10 minute panto, with even the most basic of props in the couple of hours I possibly have free between now and then. I have very little time left to throw anything together.

I have tried googling DIY panto kits, online pantos that offer audience participation etc but I'm not seeing much to work with.

Has anyone done anything like this or have any ideas or am i going to disappointment my elderly mother who loves a good panto?

Ideas on a postcard please.

Same!! I can’t believe people are making suggestions on how to do this 😂

Whatever happened to just playing Charades? 😂

😱🤣😱🤣😱🤣

Is there nothing a little further away you could travel to?

If you goggled potted panto you might find something if not read one of Ronald Dahls fairy stories and get people to just do the parts whilst one person reads. Can’t remember the title but used to do the. With Brownie switch a good reader acting as narrator I remember Red riding hood pulling a pistol from her knickers and shooting the wolf.

I would question if you had a room big enough for you to all perform/watch in - hosting a party where people can mill about is v different to having everyone participate in one thing.

The cinema sounds like a good idea to me - but If you’re set on something at home I would suggest either just have the kids perform something (some panto/script suggestions from PPs if I read correctly) or other suggestions:

Play party games in teams so you can rotate groups playing charades, Pictionary or the like in different rooms.

Have a talent contest - get all/some of your guests to pre prepare a skit or routine of some sort and have a BGT style panel of judges.

Have a panto themed quiz - you could probably find questions online and put some together yourself - can include music round with someone humming the song to guess, have silly family based questions like ‘which panto were we watching when so and so got picked to go on stage’. Score each round as you go and the winners get little prizes like Haribo or bubbles or sweets thrown at them, panto style

Any help? You'd be able to adjust the parts to fit the number of people you'd have.

www.outoftheark.co.uk/products/musicals/school-pantomimes/

Am I the only one who thinks this is great?! 😄 I hate watching pantos so I'd actually prefer this. You could all play each other? Or sort of do a scratch panto with a narrator reading out a script and people having to find the relevant props. I would put all of the family members as characters and include events of the last few years. In my head it would be great....in reality I'd be sat up at 2am writing this and cursing my mum for suggesting it 😄

I think it sounds a great idea if everyone's into it.

https://www.pantomimescripts.co.uk/pantomime-scripts-by-alan-p-frayn.html

This website might give some ideas/starters if you simplified it down to just the main lines and jokes.

Have fun and I hope it comes together for you.

Could you not just watch an online panto and theme the food?
Does anyone in the family have a projector to make it that bit more special?
Use the money to decorate to the theme of the panto and to do the food.
e.g Cinderella:

www.amazon.co.uk/Princess-Balloons-Cinderella-Birthday-Decorations/dp/B0B4WHHYK3/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1671142739&refinements=p_n_featured_character_browse-bin%3A367960031&s=kids&sr=1-6

I’m not sure if I’d love to be part of one of those families that love and embrace this shit or if I’d rather be part of my family who’d all piss themselves laughing and say ‘no fucking chance’ if anyone dared to suggest this. then would spend eternity being ribbed about it and constant references such as “I don’t know how I’d go about that - why not ask panto queen Lydia, she’s up for a BAFTA next year)”

Ps if you want to watch a panto that's amusing The Panto that Goes Wrong' is good and available on YouTube.

I'd be telling my mum no fucking way and directing her towards the BBC iPlayer where they have the children in need panto up and suggesting we all sit down and watch that instead.

Pantos used to be among the things I wrote. Ten minutes?

That length could be fine with some trouble, but even amateur productions I was involved with needed weeks or prep and rehearsal. Those were full scale pantomimes, however.

Write something for starters, make a list of characters, pad it out with a song on the end.

Do you have a piano? That might do for the song at the end if you're good and quick at composing ditties.

This scenario is like a whole new anxiety dream actually.

Could you get one of those murder mystery dinner party games? They're good fun!

I'm with you!

OP - I just wrote you a quick pantomime Incase your mum is insistent - you just need a few kareoke songs and men dressed as women and you set 😂

Cinderella:

Enter Cinderella “Oh my life is pants! All is I do is clear up after everyone’s schizzle!”

(Stepmother/Stepsisters enter)

All three; “Cinderella pluck my chin hair, Cinderella scrub my toes, Cinderella wax my legs, Cinderella pick my nose!” (Whilst jostling her around) Exit stage left.

Cinderella: I’m fed up of being bossed around by those three! They do nothing”

Cinderella sings kareoke style version of The Boy does Nothing by Alesha Dixon but change words a bit.

Enter Buttons who provides silly back up dancing.

Buttons: Hi babe!! Got some post for you, it’s a letter from The Palace.

Enter Stepmother, Stepsisters

All: You aren’t supposed to give her that!!! (Stepmother rips up.)

Buttons: That’s evil! You know all the girls in the village have been invited to the Princes Ball at the palace. He’s looking for a bride!! And that Prince is well fit!!

Stepsisters: Well that won’t be Cinderella’s, it’ll be me - even though I am too sexy for this he ball!!

Stepsisters sing kareoke Style: I’m Too Sexy

Stepmother: We’d better get our selves ready - the ball is tonight!! I need to plait my leg hair!!
I need to comb my arm pits, I need to get out the nit comb!

Exit, Cinderella sobs on Buttons Shoulders.

Buttons: Don’t worry Cinders, I know who can help us!! I bumped into this lady in Home Bargains the other day and she said she was your Godmother.

Enter Fairy Godmother:

FG: Yes, that’s me!!! I am the Queen of makeovers and you need a magical glow up girlfriend!!!”

Get Cinderella transformed to Uptown Funk - small children can be mice pulling her along in a carriage.

FG: “Looking gorgeous lady!! Now you shall go to the ball - but don’t forget the magic ends at midnight - make sure you get home before then”

Cinderella arrives at the ball: Tune playing “Shake It Off.” Party guests dancing to this.

Ugly Sisters bothering/flirting with Prince Charming who keeps running off from them

Prince Charming: “Wow who is this gorgeous babe? I’ve fallen in love at first sight!!”
Approaches Cinderella and holds out a hand for a dance.

Prince Charming sings “Sweet Caroline” but sings it as “Sweet Cinderella.”

The clock strikes midnight.

Cinderella: Yikes, better go

Prince: Wait, don’t go!!

(Exit Cinderella leaving Shoe behind)

Prince: I didn’t even get her number!! But look she’s left her Jimmy Choo! Tomorrow I’ll go round the village and find who it fits!!

Next morning, Cinderella and Buttons are sitting together in the kitchen.

“I had the best time Buttons, but will I ever see my Prince again??”

There’s a knock at the door. It’s the Prince:

“I have to come to find my future Bride, whoever fits this shoe, I’m sticking to like glue!”

Enter Ugly Sisters and Stepmother, falling over the Prince.

”Give it to me!! It’s mine!! I’m your true love!!!”

Buttons finally wrestles the shoe off them and Cinderella tries it on.

Prince: My own true love! Let’s get married and live happily ever after!

(Whole group dance to Happy by Pharrell.)

I clearly have too much time on my hands - good luck OP 😂😂😂

An even shorter version:

Your DM: "You're organising a pantomime."
You: "Oh no I'm not."

The End

😂😂😂😂😂 Brilliant!

@Disabrie22 brava! That’s better than the one I saw for £26 a ticket last week 🤪

😆

Why not go the whole hog and put on an opera?!

I have just skim read the responses on my phone (and I'm now back on the laptop) and most are amazing. I will read through properly tomorrow. My mum is a legend by the way and it becomes more important to meet her needs/wants the older she gets. Thank you for responding everyone. x

Disabrie22 that's brilliant!

@Disabrie22 This is fab! Well done 👏