Is it acceptable to use the word poof as a joke in Pantomime?

[girlfriend44]

Just wondered.
Gay man has part in panto that I've recently been too.

Tries to get laughs like Julian Clary and Larry Grayson did, on the back of being gay.

Comes on stage and at the same time there's a loud bang noise and he said something like always good to have a poof in the panto or words to that affect or its not a panto without a poof.

I guess alot of the youngsters wouldn't understand it, and it goes over their head anyway.
Alot of panto jokes are not just for children.
Just wondered what do you think of using the word poof in a panto today.
Wasn't it more an old fashioned saying?
AiBU mentioning this quite prepared to be told I am no worries.

Just wondered what others thought.

But a gay man referring to himself as a poof is OK, you don't need to be offended on his behalf, let it go and certainly don't start listening to black men rapping! You'll be be highly offended!

I remember my grans poofy.. always made me laugh when I was about 8.
I'd be asked to go get the poofy.

I have a poof in our lounge. It’s not my husband.

Gay son uses the term to describe a certain type of gay person so apparently as. Also says " the gays" when referring to another specific bracket so I assume within the community this is the norm. He works in the LGBTQ industry and is marrying an other man so I don't for one minute think he is biased towards his fellow community members. It seems to be common speech amongst them from what I've heard.

I'll never forget buying furniture from the campest man ever and DH asked me 'what do you want to do about the pouffe' but if came out like 'poof' which is forgivable, if it was in any other situation or with another person. It was the awkward stuttering and red faces between us that made the situation so much worse. We gave him a lot of business so I hope we were forgiven. Also to be fair, we laughed about it a lot afterwards. I would never ever use that word but in a panto anything goes. Oh yes it does.

I wouldn't like it tbh I hate that word, I don't care if the gays are "reclaiming it". It's a homophobic slur used by bigots. Same with queer, reclaim it all you want but it's a slur.

Personally I hate it and it's "jokes" like this that make me hate panto so much. The answer is to never go and see one.

Oh no.it dosent lol.😁

Every panto needs a "poof" (of smoke) - is a perfect panto line!

I said to dh that the poof needed a clean and ds1 said ‘I’m stood right here mother’

which was funny but we do try and refer to it as a footstool now!

What is the LGBTQ industry? Asking for a friend

That's a funny exchange 😁
It's when words are used with malicious intent that is when a word change's.

Absolutely

It’s fine if it’s a gay man making a joke about himself. I’m guessing it was an improvised line too, rather than in the script.

It wouldn’t be OK for anyone to make that joke.

I've never been very keen on panto but I'm pretty sure that's par for the course. I found out recently there is such a thing as adult only pantos with cringy double entendre titles. I would rather stick needles in my eyes.

Was it your first panto? They are very camp so it's to be expected.

Pantos tend to use a lot of unacceptable 'jokes' and get away with it 'because it's panto' but I don't really see anything wrong with this line if delivered by a gay actor.

I teach performing arts and my Year 7 pupils put on pantomimes every year. I often have to do a bit of rewriting to take jokes like that out though. This year was two Chinese characters in Aladdin named Ping Pong and Pong Ping who get lost and talk about going 'wong' way and the 'wite way'!!! Had to take the whole scene out. Yet it was available to purchase for performance in 2024. Scary.

The Wizard of Oz drag queen panto is performing in Lanarkshire just now.

Well I hope you paid for the tickets by cheque.... rather than credit/debit card .then you can cancel the cheque

Just thought I'd shoehorn that one in there

There is a fine line between slyly funny and derogatory but most pantos seems to manage it. Its hard to imagine a PC panto.

You were correct when you said a lot of it goes over the childrens' heads .
I like watching when they pick their (victim is the wrong word ) "Sparring Partner" .
Usually the Dame will ask "Where are you from" to a middle aged bloke in the audience , he says "Basildon" the reply is "Huh , well someone has to live there"

If he laughs , he's hooked in.

The four poofs and a piano are still performing together, they still use that name.

Your nan has a 'pouf' though, not a camp gay man self identifying as such to rest her feet on 😂

Oh no it isn't!!!

She has a pouffe.