Awesome Advent Day 13: Potty Pantos
In the Second World War a lot of fun had disappeared. Guy Fawkes bonfires were banned because of the blackouts and Germans dropped much nastier fireworks. Summer holidays for workers in the factories were short because they were needed to make bombs and bullets. Chocolate was hard to get so Easter Eggs vanished. But Christmas fun was still around.
In 1940, bombing stopped from Christmas Eve till the 27th December and pantomimes continued to raise people’s spirits. There was one pantomime of a similar style to Little Red Riding Hood, but spreading war messages throughout, with Rudolph as German spy and Hansel a handsome prince but a peasant in disguise!
Did you know…?
Queen Victoria (1819-1901) was not a great fan of pantomimes. “It was noisy and nonsensical as usual,” she winged one year. But she did like the lion tamer’s act. The tamer called Van Amburgh, a cross-eyed man from America. The Queen was such a fan that she watched the act six times in six weeks!
Horrible Histories TV 