Rufus Hound in panto

[Hdhdjejdj]

I saw on twitter that Rufus Hound has been attacked on twitter because of his part as Abanazar in Aladdin. He says that he applied eyeliner for the promotional poster in order to portray the fact he is the baddie, and that’s traditional in panto. He has been accused of ‘yellow face’ which he denies. What’s interesting is that there is no mention of the dames in the panto and one of the most vocal people ‘calling him out’ on twitter is himself a drag queen.

"China meant 'a very long way away....'"

See also Turkey, as in 'Turkey birds,' from a long way away, America, same thing.

And Shakespeare's Othelllo is not a Moroccan, he's a Moor, a black African Muslim, as opposed to a Turk, a brown Asian Muslim, including Arabs, or an Ethiopian, a black African Christian.

Little Oliver will be playing Mary, the birthing parent of the sweet baby Jesus, who is AMAB but don't anyone fucking assume they's gender. Joseph is enjoying wearing that long smocky thing far too much. We've got one non-binary wise individual, one gender-fluid wise individual, and Melchior would like everyone to know he is now demi-sexual. We're still having heated discussions over whether 'wise' is ableist language or a white value. The shepherds are now vegan community gardeners (and antifa). And the action takes place in the inn because we wanted to be inclusive. Please don't have any carceral thoughts about Herod. He's nice really and is a victim of colonialist oppression.

@KaycePollard

I'm about to give a talk on pantomime & the dame, and what I'm going to argue is that yes, the Dame has long been seen as a cuddly English eccentricity. But, when you think about the social/ cultural politics of the Dame, she's really not an innocent fun character - she emerges at about the time Queen Victoria started visibly ageing, getting very stout, and in mourning for Albert. Pantomime Dames were perhaps a kind of knee-jerk reaction to being ruled over by such a woman. By a woman, period!

Pantomime exists in that gap between what is 'proper' or appropriate, and what is outrageous, offensive and inappropriate. It is deliberately naughty in all sorts of ways. This sense of Misrule goes back to pre-Christian religious festivals of mid-Winter. The Janus face, facing both backwards & forwards; the depths of mid-winter meaning that spring is on its way; and the brief moment of turning authority upside down - the child rules, (in Christian mythology, a baby is born as King of the world), and so on ...

I'd love to read a transcript of your talk, fascinating!

@EsmaCannonball

Little Oliver will be playing Mary, the birthing parent of the sweet baby Jesus, who is AMAB but don't anyone fucking assume they's gender. Joseph is enjoying wearing that long smocky thing far too much. We've got one non-binary wise individual, one gender-fluid wise individual, and Melchior would like everyone to know he is now demi-sexual. We're still having heated discussions over whether 'wise' is ableist language or a white value. The shepherds are now vegan community gardeners (and antifa). And the action takes place in the inn because we wanted to be inclusive. Please don't have any carceral thoughts about Herod. He's nice really and is a victim of colonialist oppression.

The frankincense and myrrh were certified of organic origin and the gold was mined by miners paid a living wage with profit sharing rights .

In line with vegan principles, the donkey was released and eaten by wolves, to be replaced by a solar-powered rickshaw.

And following the gender reveal party, some shepherds watching their flocks set alight are seeking compensation.

@Jaysmith71

In line with vegan principles, the donkey was released and eaten by wolves, to be replaced by a solar-powered rickshaw.

And following the gender reveal party, some shepherds watching their flocks set alight are seeking compensation.

The Angel Gabrielle ‘s preferred pronouns are ze and they. As a respectful expression of Gabrielle’s true self please note the correct spelling of Gabrielle.

EsmaCannonball you have a very good point about principal boys not being seen any more.
My sister helps run a pantomime company,and I asked her why this is a while back.
Apparently the decline started a few years back,when young male soap stars started appearing in panto as the principal boy. People who like soaps were keen to see the actors in the flesh,this boosted ticket sales,and voila, women were ousted from that part. Its interesting that no longer employing women for the part has happened everywhere,even in small provincial theatres/ companies that would never attract top name soap stars or be able to afford them.

I suppose it gives a role for the young hunky types, even if they are not famous, Which might appeal to some?

I think it’s also the same old, same old lesbophobia.

We think we’re so so liberal and progressive nowadays, but watching a woman (even dressed as a boy) kissing another woman is full horror for many people. No-one says it, but I think that’s part of it.

Gay men are cuddly, domesticated, funny. Lesbians are just … well, we’d rather not think about that.

@KaycePollard

I think it’s also the same old, same old lesbophobia.

We think we’re so so liberal and progressive nowadays, but watching a woman (even dressed as a boy) kissing another woman is full horror for many people. No-one says it, but I think that’s part of it.

Gay men are cuddly, domesticated, funny. Lesbians are just … well, we’d rather not think about that.

So do you feel that people were more comfortable with this before the casting change?

I'm not so sure about this.