The Stage

Panto cons

Published Tuesday 2 January 2007 at 14:05

May I express my thanks to your correspondent for his kind remarks regarding my pantomime dame appearances (December 29, Stage Talk, page 4).

However, I would like to correct one slight misapprehension - while it is true I do not perform onstage any more, I am not in full retirement but am busy with my agency (Basic/JD), having cast four productions this season.

I don’t see the point in appearing in what are described as “traditional pantos” any more as there rarely seem to be traditional pantomimes.

I recently saw a production of Mother Goose where the plain, skint dame made her first entrance covered in silver sequins and diamonds, a Cinderella with a white prince and a black Dandini and in one ghastly show a blonde Snow White.

Such casting makes nonsense of the stories and ruins it for the children.

Bring back Paul Elliott and his like, then maybe we’d have proper pantos again and not just money-making ‘cons’ to cheat the public.

Johnny Dallas

Basic/JD

Tatlow Road

Leicester

Leicestershire