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| Sunday, 15 December 2002 |
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Weekend meander : Pantomimes and Christmas So it was unanimously decided that the Beauty Contest would take the form of a pantomime, because Christmas is the time for in the forest can be a most delightful thing, especially if there is a light sprinkling of snow and faint sunshine to go with it. The date was fixed for the Sunday before Christmas as otherwise there would be too much of a rush with Christmas preparations going on, what with the cake having to be fixed with wands to be sent flying through the ether to special friends, and decorating our own tree (I mean Oberon's and mine)and putting festive torches to other parts of the forest. Bottom,Puck,the Blithe Spirits of the Night and the rest would be presenting the 'panto.'Chief Guests and Guest of Honour were yet to be decided on;Oberon is in favour of Robin O' the Hood and the Lady Marian , while another faction was hoping for a Christmas return from the Holy Land of King Richard,opting for His Majesty to grace the occasion as not only Chief Guest but Guest of Honour. Quince put an end to all suggestions put forward by saying that such details would be worked out later; for the moment it was necessary to choose the cast of the pantomime and have serious rehearsals; he was in charge of the whole show, being the good impresario he is. Bottom called for the first rehearsal to be held soon, to which Quince readily agreed, saying that costumes etc. had to be made and auditions to be gone through. But there was a sticking point there; Bot said that there was no need for rehearsals as everyone was a .natural'. 'How can a lion be a natural?' queried Flute. 'There will be no animals in the show,'said Bot.'I said before that a lion among ladies can be a most dreadful thing, in the words of the Bard. 'What about moonshine? What about moonshine?'That was Puck, almost hysterical because the show was to be by night and no one knew whether there would be a moon that night. 'Get the Observatory at Greenwich,' said Oberon to Quince who immediately got them on his hotline.'No, there will be no moonlight on that night,' was the disquieting news. 'Then we will have to make some,'said Puck, who was capable of anything, really. We can ask Greenwich to help,' said little Peace Blossom from her corner in a bluebell. "We must have some moonshine otherwise it will be all dark and no one will be able to see anything,'she lamented. "Let's go and find moonshine! Moonshine! We must have some moonshine!' shouted Bottom who then rushed off with almost everyone following. Quince had been busy on his e-mails and had finally got through to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden who said that they could provide moonshine but at a big price. 'Never mind the price,'Quince had e-mailed back. 'we absolutely must have moonshine.' 'But do you know that the word moonshine also has another meaning?'asked Sir Henry Hoggard, who looked into words at Covent Garden,adding :'Moonshine also means illegally manufactured alcohol.' 'Bottom will like that one!'Quince said to himself.'Yes, Sir Henry, we know that, but we want the real thing..you know,a moon setting for the panto.we are not having a matinee.So we want the moon, and if we have the moon, it will shine.'Quince in an unusual mood. "We shall see, we shall see,'murmured Sir Henry Hoggard. 'Otherwise we will have to ask Robin to provide the moonshine,' Quince e-mailed back, adding :Friar Tuck can always provide that. Quince rushed back to the forest for an urgent meeting with Oberon who at that time was on a hotline to Richard the Lion Heart in Jerusalem. The king was expected back before Christmas and it went without saying that His Majesty would be Chief Guest. Oberon had already invited him on their telephone conversion and Richard had graciously accepted. Meanwhile,Bottom, Puck,Snout and some others had already got into a huddle to discuss what form the panto should take. The decision was that Bot himself was to represent the forest as Miss Forest; Cobweb, Mustard Seed and Starveling-of course-would design and make his costume. Other details were being kept under wraps until later. There also were some big surprise planned. There was also a lot of red type to be gone through. No one wanted a repeat of Nigeria.There would be no question of deporting the cast anywhere.It was a home-and- home forest 'do' and no interference from any quarter would be tolerated, short of riots in the forest; and who wanted riots at Christmas time? - TIT |
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