In a message dated 04/12/2002 01:51:02 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I wish I understood what the hell she was talking about. What is a panto? What is a skip? >> Ah! Two nations separated by a common language, again. Panto is an abbreviation for pantomime, a form of theatre which is quintessentially English (although I've no idea what its origins are). It involves well-known storylines such as Peter Pan, Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves, and is chiefly a Christmas season phenomenon, being aimed at what programmers like to call "younger audiences", which to you or me means kids. Staples of panto include cross dressing (the main characters are usually played by actors of the oppposite sex), very broad comedy including pratfalls and running around in panic, and audience participation: when the villain is creeping up on the hero, the audience shout out "He's behind you!" en masse; or an argument will develop, and a character will say "Oh yes it is", whereupon the audience will riposte "OH NO IT ISN'T!!" Erm, does this help?? A skip is a large receptacle for rubbish (or should I say Trash?) which is delivered on the back of a large lorry (truck!) and deposited outside someone's house, typically when someone is doing a large clear-out. So, they'll be full of the detritus of a houshold, often stuff that may seem perfectly serviceable. Hope that hasn't killed Nancy's subtle and whimsical humo(u)r... By the way, you may also be wondering who the hell Bernie Clifton is: As you may have gathered, his Schtick was a comedy ostrich which he "rode", his legs being the ostrich's legs, and a fake pair of legs being draped of the ostrich's sides, giving the "hilarious" effect of a fully grown man riding said oversized bird. Crikey, what Brits used to do for entertainment in the 70s... Azeem in London
