Although now almost exclusively thought of as a Christmas Entertainment, Pantos have long been a staple of English celebrations and holidays, making them a natural fit with (and a long-standing member of) English Seaside Entertainments.
Although there is a LOT more to Panto that there's room to go into here, perhaps one of the best ways to sum it up for an American audience is to suggest the very, very worst (as in most "hammy" and amateur) community/ children's theatre performance of some well-known story you've ever seen ... and now, imagine that the actors and the audience are all "in on the joke" of the melodramatic flourishes, the cartoonish sets, the absurd costumes, and the stilted dialogue. In Panto--even extremely skilled actors who specialize in assorted Panto stock characters--no one is allowed to take the material (or themselves) too seriously. The genre is full of innuendo, familiar material, songs, spectacle, gender-swapping, topical references, audience participation, and a whole lot of "noise, color, and bad taste."
"Punch and Judy" refers to a traditional genre of children's puppet show featuring stock characters, popular throughout Britain since the Victorian era, and particularly common as a children's divertissement at seaside attractions. The performance is traditionally handled by a single puppeteer (typically dubbed a "Professor"), who will often control two or more characters at once. Although some "stick" puppets existed, most main characters were hand puppets, with stock characters like the titular "Punch" (a grotesque clown with a squawking voice and a slapstick) and his wife, "Judy;" their baby; a policeman, a crocodile, a young buxom lass, and some supernatural evil character (a ghost, a skeleton, the Devil, etc.). The plays were filled with innuendo, with violence, and with "working class" themes (when themes appeared). Tom & Jerry/Itchy & Scratchy and arguably The Honeymooners/the Flintstones wouldn't exist without Punch and Judy.
In the documentary Mel Brooks: Make a Noise, Susan Stroman recalls a heart-warming exchange backstage at The Producers between Brooks and his grandson.
“Is Hitler a good guy or a bad guy?” the boy asked.
When his grandfather told him Hitler was a bad guy, the grandson seemed taken back. “Then why did Hitler make me laugh?”
“Hitler didn’t make you laugh,” said Brooks. “I made you laugh.”
-- Brandon Ambrosino, "Don't Forget to Laugh"
www.tabletmag.com/scroll/192439/dont-forget-to-laugh
This page offers an extremely brief selection of dramaturgical resources for those visiting this topic for the first time, for those "on the go" who need a very quick refresher on a topic, those who seek some basic context to ideas, and those who are brand new to this show and style.
To visit the FULL dramaturgical web page, including scene-by-scene vocabulary, videos, music, and more, please click on "Home" in the menu at the top of this screen.
Welcome to the Extremely Quick Guide to OMTG!
A one-page, abbreviated look at several topics of dramaturgical interest ...
On Commedia...
One Man, Two Guvnors is based on Carlo Goldoni's classic The Servant of Two Masters, which was, in turn, Goldoni's adaptation and "take" on the traditional characters, Lazzi, and scenarios of the Italian street theatre known as Commedia dell'Arte. The "long-form" version of this website contains a HUGE amount of info on Commedia and its characters, but for now, here's a quick, bite-sized preview:
Commedia dell'Arte
Commedia is primarily known as a type of street/busking comedy for a masked ensemble of skilled actors, especially accomplished in improvisation and gymnastics/physical humor. The style developed in 16th and 17th century Italy, featured a set of easily recognizable "stock" characters and framework scenarios that largely formed the foundation of the "situational comedy" that we still see in modern sit-coms. The work is particularly famous for its class and "war of the sexes" comedy, it's portrayal of master/servant relationships, and its slapstick humor (indeed, the very word "slapstick" comes from a literal "slapstick" used in Commedia for Three Stooges-style violent humor). See the links under "About the Show" in the menu above for "Characters" and "Style--Commedia dell'Arte" to learn more!)
Goldoni's work
By the 18th century, Commedia was in danger of being completely overshadowed by the Neoclassicists and other theatrical genres--and, as such, was long overdue for an artistic jumpstart. Enter Carlo Goldoni, a now-recognized master of the Italian stage. Goldoni took the street theatre and structured the plot to conform with the style of his day, traded actor improvisation for a fully fleshed out script, and unmasked the actors in an effort to step closer to a "realistic" portrayal of human folly (though, to be clear, still FAR from modern "Realism"). In comparing The Servant of Two Masters to a traditional Commedia piece, one must acknowledge the differences inherent in the lack of masks and the closely followed script--and yet there is still an obvious kinship of comedy, of plot devices, of character types, and even--thanks to extended opportunities for Lazzi (i.e., rehearsed physical comedy, often involving virtuosic physical skill on the part of the performer)--of some degree of improv and actor-driven creation. See the links under "About the Show" in the menu above for "Goldoni" and "Characters" to learn more about Goldoni's work and its connection to traditional Commedia.
Bean's work
Just as Goldoni freely adapted the traditional characters and framework of Commedia, Bean has freely adapted the characters and framework of Goldoni -- and just as Goldoni's work was strongly influenced by the neoclassical standards and theatrical aesthetics of the "modern" Italy he knew, Bean has heavily relied on a "modern" (if not exactly contemporary) 20th century British landscape for his adaptation, complete with British entertainment aesthetics, tropes, and styles.
Two related British entertainments that deserve particular attention here are the famed "Punch and Judy" shows and the Panto-style performances, both of which could pop up in any busy market town, but were particularly popular as part of England's famous "Seaside Holiday" experience. As Shilarna writes in her director's note, the "Seaside Entertainment" aesthetic is palpable in OMTG, an idea that's buttressed by the fact that the action of the play takes place in Brighton--a particularly famous seaside resort town known for its boardwalk and entertainments (as well as, like so many other boardwalk areas, the rough elements that tend to gather in such areas, making money off the tourists and enjoying the generally relaxed and/or overwhelmed law enforcement).
Let's take a quick look at these two particular British Entertainments -- Punch and Judy Puppet Shows, and Panto Performances!:
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An excerpt from Shilarna Stoke's Director's Concept for "One Man, Two Guvnors"
NOISE, COLOR, BAD TASTE, AND POLITICS
"I have to admit that I as much as I enjoy Richard Bean’s adaptation of Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters, I can’t help thinking about what Mel Brooks would do with the same material. The idea comes to me because, of course, there is much that links his comedies with One Man, Two Guvnors (OMTG): physical comedy, parody, spoof, crass behavior, offensive jokes, topical references, and a great deal of self-aware play-acting (rather than acting) and winking at the audience. Noise, color and bad taste (central to the Brooks aesthetic) are also essential to the aesthetic of OMTG.
"But there’s more. Both Brooks in many of his works and Bean in OMTG demonstrate a keen awareness of the social, cultural, and political moments they write about. Richard Bean sets his adaptation in April of 1963, at a moment when Britain stands on the edge of transformation: postwar optimism and a sense of peace and prosperity are giving way to interclass hostility, racial/ethnic strife, and a generation of young people ready to stand against all figures of authority and all aspects of the status quo.
"Also in April 1963, the Beatles have their first hit single ('Love from Me to You'). One month later, their first album (Please, Please Me) goes to the top of the UK Albums Chart. Over the course of the following year, the 'Fab Four' will begin to replace the Queen and her family as the most important faces of British culture.
"Finally, April 1963 marks the last moment of innocence before the Profumo Affair would, just two months later, begin to occupy the attention of the British public. The details of the scandal aren’t important here; it suffices to say that it combined the Nixon/Watergate scandal with the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal and that it led to the resignation of the Prime Minister. One journalist summarizes it this way:
'The Profumo affair can be put alongside the Suez Crisis of 1956 and death of Winston Churchill in 1965 as part of the post-war, cultural transition to a modern Britain. In its wake, people trusted politicians less.'
"I take the final song sung by the cast, 'Tomorrow Looks Good from Here,' to be a moment of intense dramatic irony. Has it escaped anyone’s attention that the US is in the midst of a time of great political mistrust, widespread social unrest, and unprecedented polarization along lines of race, class, and religion? Has anyone noticed that this production will go up two days after Americans choose a new president? And how many of us might agree that noise, color, and bad taste are apt words to describe the Wrestle Mania-like tenor of the current US presidential election cycle? Maybe it will be funny in fifty years. What I hope to do with OMTG is to deliver a highly theatrical, bust-a-gut funny, entertaining parody of British and American cultural/political life that mixes up key elements of commedia dell’arte, cheap seaside entertainments in 1960s Britain, and US celebrity/political culture in 2016."
Let's break this up a bit, and explore some of her points!
Good Taste is the Enemy of Comedy - Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks is an American director, writer, comedian, composer, lyricist, actor, and all-around "funny man." Major works include The Producers (the film and the musical), Young Frankenstein (again, the film and the musical), Spaceballs, the History of the World Part 1, and Blazing Saddles. His early experience in radio and television was heavily inspired by the Borscht-belt and vaudeville comedians who came before; that irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, and self-aware comedy remains in his work to this day. Director Shilarna Stokes points to Brook's "physical comedy, parody, spoof, crass behavior, offensive jokes, topical references, a great deal of self-aware play-acting (rather than acting) and winking at the audience" as major aspects of Brooks's humor, and that which she sees as central to OMTG. In case you're new to Brooks, here are a few useful introductions of "noise, color, and bad taste"...
(please note: in case this wasn't obvious, much like "All in the Family" and other "ironically offensive" humor, much of Brooks's comedy rests on mocking prejudice, sexism, and general ignorance by shining a light on it through exaggerated portrayal. So, if you're new to his comedy, and you think 'I can't believe he just said that! I'm offended by that language and behavior' -- don't worry, so is he!)
The "New Sheriff" scene - Blazing Saddles (1974)
Lonestar vs. Dark Helmet - Spaceballs (1987)
"The Inquisition" - History of the World, Part I (1981)
(note: the lead performer is Mel Brooks!)
BRITAIN: APRIL, 1963
COMMEDIA
dell'Arte
"Springtime for Hitler" - The Producers (1968)
Punch & Judy Puppet Shows:
By Musphot (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Panto Performances:
Kenneth Alan Taylor in the traditional panto "Dame" role
as "Jack's Mother" in Jack and the Beanstalk
"What is Panto?"
Graham Hoadly as Dame Widow Twankey in Aladdin
The Beatles performing Midsummer's "rude mechanicals"/"Pyramus & Thisbe" scene as a Panto ...
WHY PUNCH & JUDY and PANTO MATTER FOR OMTG:
Purveyors of both Punch & Judy AND Panto often proudly point to their direct lineage to COMMEDIA!
Panto's origins involve Commedia troupes traveling to or otherwise being seen by Brits during the 17th and 18th centuries, followed by many of those same qualities being repurposed for British Music Halls. Masks gave way to over-the-top make-up and costumes, and improvisation with lazzi gave way to stilted scripts that actors would often "riff" off of, improvising asides, and a continuation of the Lazzi traditions (visit the Commedia page for more info).
Punch, meanwhile, is actually named after the classic Commedia character known as "Punchinello," or, more commonly, "Pulcinella." A "boss clown" of sorts, this perpetually grumpy and self-important character has some degree of power, though not nearly as much as he credits himself as having. He talks with a choked voice ("Pulcinella" means "little chicken," and apparently people thought the character's voice was reminiscent of the small fowl), and often carries a club or slapstick to exact instant violence on anyone that displeases him. His mask featured a protruding brow and large, hooked nose, and his posture normally featured a bent back. 20th/21st-century Pulcinellas may include Squidward from Spongebob, Dwight from The Office, and Moe from the Three Stooges. Between this description of his mask, the fact that he always carried about his slapstick, his choked voice, and the personality of the three modern varieties listed above, I'm assuming the resemblance between Pulcinella and his demented descendant, Punch, isn't hard to see!
In the case of OMTG, Richard Bean is not merely updating Commedia to 20th century Britain, but is apparently doing so by using those building blocks of British culture which already owe their existence to Commedia. Becoming somewhat familiar with these "seaside entertainments" may help you understand the point of view of the original audience, may help you demonstrate a more fluid transaction between the "real" and the "supra-real" moments on stage, and--most importantly--help you capture the "public entertainment" and "conversation with the audience" aspect that is so integral to Punch & Judy, Commedia, Panto, and OMTG, but is often overlooked or downright avoided in modern fourth-wall "Naturalistic" and "Realistic" productions.
In short -- unlike much 20th/21st century theatre that seeks "suspension of disbelief," OMTG--like puppet shows, the circus, or a stand-up routine--invites the audience to relish its role in the evening's entertainment, and, rather than lose a sense of being in a theatre, recognize and love that they are there!
There are some time periods that seem to embody an era -- the Summer of '69, mid-1983, and so on. Then, there are those times that feel liminal--transition moments as society teeters between what was and what will be. In so many ways, early 1963 seems to belong to this latter category.
Most areas of London had been rebuilt and rehabilitated after the bombing campaigns and destruction of WWII--and those neighborhoods that had not received such care had begun to lose the "victim of war" reputation, and simply became "bad" neighborhoods. Economic prosperity had once again taken off, though did so in a palpably uneven manner. Jazz had given way to skiffle, which served as a gateway to rock n' roll.
In attempting to sum up this change to a new British modernism, I would point to an interesting coincidence:
In March 1963, British Railways issued a report calling for huge cuts to the UK's rail network, which was expected to result in the closure of more than 2,000 railway stations as well as the loss of up to 68,000 jobs.
In April 1963, Britain entered the Polaris Sales Agreement with the United States, resulting in a deal around nuclear submarine facilities at Faslane Naval Base.
In the space of one short month (taking place, incidentally, at the same time as this play), we see how newspapers would be reporting with dread the doom and gloom of the end of traditional rail, and simultaneously reporting the economic boom to come through the futuristic nuclear submarine opportunities. This example of being on the threshold of leaving the old/entering the new is echoed in this era throughout fashion, music, politics, and more.
For much more on Britain '63 (including videos, Doctor Who, and some classic Beatles music), click HERE.
The standard Panto has two gender-swapped roles -- the young, heroic male lead will be played by a young female (whether as a "trouser role" or as a female character in disguise), and an older male will play a "Dame" role (mother/widow/nurse/queen/etc.), usually in over-the-top, Carnivale-Grotesque fashion.