Pantomime

1. [Multiple choice]

Pantomime has its origins in ……………… popular theatre.

Answers for Quiz [1].

• 1. French
• 2. Japanese
• 3. Chinese
• 4. Italian (correct)
• 5. Australian

2. [Multiple choice]

It arrived in England …………………

(By the 16th century means it arrived before the 16th century, so in the 15th century, in the 1400s.That’s a long time ago!)

Answers for Quiz [2].

• 1. in the 16th century
• 2. in the early 17th century
• 3. in the mid-16th century
• 4. in the late 16th century
• 5. by the 16th century (correct)

3. [Multiple choice]

The tradition of men acting as women, and women acting as men, has its origins in a very old festival which takes place on

(Twelfth night is the twelfth night after the Christian festival of Christmas on 25th December, and it is a feast which pre-dates Christian times. Twelfth night is on January 11th, the evening before Twelfth Day. It is said that to keep one’s Christmas decorations after this date brings bad luck – but in fact, the Christmas season ends on the 2nd February, the feast of Candlemas.)

Answers for Quiz [3].

• 1. the twelfth day of the new year
• 2. the twelfth night of the new year
• 3. twelve days after Christmas (correct)
• 4. on Boxing Day (December 26th)
• 5. on Christmas Day
• 6. on January 1st

4. [Multiple choice]

Joseph Grimaldi was born in Italy and came to England in the late 1700s.

(False – his name and family origins are Italian, but he was born in London in 1779, and died there in 1837. Does that make him British? Oh yes, it does!)

Answers for Quiz [4].

• 1. True
• 2. False (correct)

5. [Multiple choice]

British pantomime has constantly re-invented itself.

(Over the years it has incorporated all sorts of forms of entertainment including circus acts,songs, and dancing, and now it often borrows stars from TV soaps, and songs from the pop world. It is very versatile as a genre.)

Answers for Quiz [5].

• 1. True (correct)
• 2. False

6. [Multiple choice]

Pantomime has also, for centuries, alluded to topical and local issues.

(Sometimes, for instance, local well-known people, football teams or rival groups are written into the script, and these always raise a laugh. On occasions staff and / or students in schools and colleges write their own pantomimes, and you can expect to hear amusing references to members of staff, or jokes at their expense.)

Answers for Quiz [6].

• 1. True (correct)
• 2. False

7. [Multiple choice]

A tradition of the pantomime horse (or cow) is that he cannot see.

(But the 2nd actor, hidden in the costume and playing the back half of the horse / cow, cannot see much – the actor in front has to do all of the direction-finding, as (s)he has a mask over his / her face but can, at least, see through the eye-holes!)

Answers for Quiz [7].

• 1. True
• 2. False (correct)

8. [Multiple choice]

An innuendo might be a comment suggesting a negative opinion of a politician

Answers for Quiz [8].

• 1. True (correct)
• 2. False

9. [Multiple choice]

A contemporary pantomime tradition is the celebrity guest star.

(This is a contemporary practice which is not new, however – it dates back to the late 19th century. That’s a long time ago!)

Answers for Quiz [9].

• 1. True (correct)
• 2. False