...oh no it's not...oh yes it is...

It shouldn’t work- bad jokes, iffy acting (in fact brilliant acting does not work), dancing, the leading man is a woman and the comedy woman is a man. It shouldn’t work but it does. Welcome to the world of panto…..



It is one of the best things about being British (alongside rain, rain, rain, talking about what the weather will do next (rain) and oh…rain). It has to be northern to be best as well. So, last night; that is where I was- in Middlesbrough watching panto- and it was glorious. Probably a lot better than the panto taking place at the Riverside ( they lost 1-0; they teeter just above the relegation zone and have the easy task of Man Utd at Old Trafford…oh dear)…



Sat there, amidst the laughs, I got thinking about the parallels of that other Great British institution- the church.



Cynically (never a good idea---- I keep thinking Psalm 1--- 'sitting in the seat of scoffers'--- it is great to scoff, very satisfying, but it becomes an addiction that eventually destroys...); arcane ritual accesible only to an in crowd (in this case the British), funny costumes, jargon ('oh no it isn't..... oh yes it is...... he's behind you) and things, for some reason that just have to be done for it to be 'proper'...although no-one quite knows why...



Hopefully- a disparate group of people having fun, making sense of the world, celebrating, laughing and interacting with each other (ok- we are all facing the front, but I know of no other theatre experience where you talk to the person next to you), all ages engaged and enjoying it....

Ok- that breaks down in lots of ways and maybe I should just watch stuff and not think- wish I could. I do love a good panto, but it has to be at Christmas.... My next big experience is next Saturday in the FA cup- Middlesbrough v Barrow. I suspect it will not be like watching Brazil... and it may be like panto, but without many laughs...

Ok- the fellow on the right was in it....bringing all the acting skills of an ex joiner who won a reality TV show (the first Big Brother)- actually he was quite good. I am just jealous- I'd love to be on stage as a performer...telling jokes, riffing...getting a reaction. Hmmm...I think I do that most Sundays...

After a world beating series of successive blogs I am taking a few days off....Manchester...my in laws... a few days of watching TV...being fed and half-arsed parenting (think 'The Royle Family') whilst I am spoilt rotten. Chance now to quote one of my many favourite Smith's lyrics:-

'Manchester, Manchester: such a lot to answer for'.

..which I think says it all...