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In the UK, for Babybomers Christmas would not be complete without a visit to a festive pantomime. The history of pantomime goes back many hundreds of years to harlequin in the Italian commedia dell'arte who wore tiny black pumps. Most of the traditional pantos involve fairly stories which almost always include a role for shoes in their plot e.g. Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk & Puss in Boots. The fascination for footwear reflects the importance of their role in our civilisation and particularly a means to satire the upper classes. The glory of pantomime is the principle boy who is always played by a woman. By the 1870's the costumes of the principle boy were almost a uniform of trunks, tights and saucy laced boots. This sexy look was deliberate and made Lydia Thompson, one of pantomime's earliest principle boys, an absolute sensation when she toured the US. The boost her presence brought to the boot trade was recognised when boot blacks, in Chicago gave her a silver presentation wreath in gratitude. In the 19th century, fancy dress balls became a national pastime among the privileged classes. The most popular characters were Louis XIV (the Sun King) and Louis XVI, two French monarchs who both wore lavishly, decorated shoes. The former was a champion of the red heel and the latter a devotee to white shoes. Pantomime shoes are generally glamorous with the men in female parts shod in as clumsy footwear as possible. This is invariably an elaborate parody of working class boots which wore heavy and badly made shoes. Patched and with soles coming adrift they were meant to make Widow Twankee (a close relative of Charlie's Aunt and Old Mother Hubbard) look coarse. These characters have a heart of gold for all that. The Ugly Sisters were always dressed in recently passed fashion pushed to ludicrously eccentric limits. Glamour was parodied as tattiness and probably reflected the chauvinistic attitude which prevailed in the last century that fashion was superficial and the prerogative of only effeminates and the female gender. Shoes as well as costume were particularly designed to make the sister's attempt at sophistication, look grotesque. Cinderella would seem by comparison feminine, vulnerable and very attractive to the audience. Chorus girls in pantomime have moved from the corps de ballet in the 19th century to a prominent part of the sub plot and this has led to the development of exotic footwear. Silk and satin, covered with artificial pearls, rubies and emeralds were used for Victorian chorus
girls' sandals but modern line ups are likely to be in the standard high kicker's footwear of heeled court shoes with as many decorative additions as designers can get away with. As with ballet shoes took a beating and needed constant repair and renewal. This plus the cost of the lavish costumes and scenery has always made pantomimes extremely expensive productions which may account for why today we see less and less live performances. The demise of live theatre has brought with it the loss of slap-stick comedy which of course was very much part of the pantomime. The tradition is thankfully kept alive, just, and if you get a chance, take a trip.
have a good one - :santa:
Oh no you won't - Oh yes you will!
toeslayer