AsiaLIFE

The Phnom Penh Players are donning their frocks and plastering their faces with make-up once more. Yes, it’s panto time again – no it isn’t. Marcus Burrows finds out what treats await this Christmas.

It’s that time of the year again. Where men dress in stockings, daub themselves in thick waxy coloured greasepaint, slap on a wig and stilletoes and belt out some show-tunes in a garish frock whilst milking some of the worst puns in history with the wink of a mascarared eye for smutty innuendo.

Or maybe you’re not British? Let me explain, It’s Panto season!!! Traditionally performed around Christmas and very loosely based on a traditional children’s story, the panto is a hugely popular form of theatre incorporating song, dance, buffoonery, slapstick, in-jokes, audience participation and mild sexual innuendo. The plotlines are usually very simple: The girl dressed as a boy who is the son of a man dressed as a woman, will win the other girl (surprisingly dressed as a girl), with the assistance of a person(s) dressed in an animal skin. Well, try explaining that to an American, German or indeed a Cambodian!

Hot on the high heels of last year’s ‘Hamlet: The Musical: A Panto’. The Phnom Penh Players proudly present their latest addition to their growing impressive repertoire ‘Alladin Under The Sea’. It’s set to the beat of some great Beatles tunes, with five live musicians, helped out by musical director and guitar maestro Andy Hawkings.

Auditions this year were crowded to capacity and transcended the expectations of even the show’s director Berry Schipper. “We had to turn away about 15 people, that’s never happened before,” he says. “It was so encouraging to see so many enthusiastic actors, young and old, show up but in the end there were more people than we could give parts to.”

The script, written by a British reverend’s wife Judith Dickson, has been whipped into shape by five members of the Players to bring a further contemporary edge to the festive jollilities. “Scriptwriting was very entertaining,” says Berry. “It’s amazing how salacious five men can be when writing jokes over a few beers for a Christmas panto – it’s a shame that we had to cut most! We did slip in a few rabbit punches about Republican U.S. policy for topicality, so we’ve definitely packed in enough to keep the adults amused.”

Risqué double entendres are all part of the fun festive package, frequently wringing mild innuendo out of perfectly innocent phrases. This is, in theory, over-the-heads of the children in the audience. It’s all part of the great British institution of comedy. The gals get to play guys and the guys get to play girls, gender reversal, thigh-slapping innuendo, a little slapstick – all good clean fun. The audience is always encouraged to ‘Boo’ and ‘Hiss’ the dastardly villain at each of their entrances, and protectively warn the heroes “He’s behind you!” if they’re ever in danger. This can lead to a good-natured screaming hysteria, akin to a Beatles concert.

“There’s an art to keeping the balance of keeping the kids entertained with familiar fairy-tale characters and plenty of audience participation whilst including a level of ‘knowing’ humour to keep the adults chuckling along,” explains Berry. “It’s seriously just as much fun for the adults.” Another intention is to bring a bit of camp Christmas fun into Phnom Penh. “There’s not much live entertainment here,” says Stewart who directed Hamlet: The Musical last year. “Our aim is to raise money for more local performing arts.”

Alladin Under The Sea will be performed at iCan International School at Sothearos Blvd. on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14. Tickets are available from ISPP, Java Café, Talkin to a Stranger and Garden Center Café (US$10 adults, US$5 children under 18, Cambodians half-price).

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