Alhambra panto: Wizard of Oz captures the magic of panto at Christmas

At 27 years of age, I stepped inside Dunfermline’s Alhambra Theatre to see the Wizard of Oz Panto performance for the first time on Friday night. Whether you’ve been to a hundred pantos before or none, it’s the perfect way to feel some Christmas magic this year.

Panto is a holiday tradition specific to the UK and I had no idea what to expect. Before I went, I was told that it would be loud and that it would break all the typical rules of theatre - and so it was. There are so few things in adult life that celebrate complete and utter ridiculousness so it was refreshing to suspend reality for a while and shout along with the audience for a couple hours. It was nice to step outside of the normal, dull world and enter the realm of the ridiculous for a few hours.

Between the beautiful theatre effects - like the snow falling from the ceiling - and the terrible puns it’s hard to pick a favourite moment from the show.

There’s something that needs to be said of the incredibly talented cast who managed to get every member of the audience on their feet or shouting at some point during the night. The joy and pride they take in their jobs on stage is apparent.

There’s also something to be said for the obvious pride that both the players and audience have for their city, for Fife and for Scotland.

Hearing the Scarecrow refer to Dorothy by the Scottish-ism ‘Hen’ and hearing the local references throughout was one of my favourite parts. Fife Council’s Provost Jim Leishman even makes a special appearance in the show. It reminded me that art and theatre have real power to create community.

The show, stuck - more or less - to the usual Wizard of Oz script - Dorothy is stranded in Oz and goes to the wizard for help, picking up a gang of odd-ball friends along the way. However, panto introduced a whole new element of silliness. Possibly my favourite part of the night was when the Wicked Witch’s monkey was stalking Dorothy and the gang on stage. Children in the audience shouted at the cast to look out for the monkey that was right behind them while the players continued to play dumb - what monkey? They didn’t see one.

It was altogether over the top from start to finish - in ways I both did and didn’t expect it to be.

By the time I reached the interval, I had a lot of questions about where and when the concept of panto came from and more importantly, how it became associated with Christmas.

There’s no definite answer, but according to the British Players website, panto-mime began centuries ago (possibly in Italy) as “a low form of opera.” while other sources credit 18th century harlequin dancers and comedians, and some say that the British Victorians cemented the panto tropes and traditions as we know and love them today.

In any case, it’s safe to say it’s a very old tradition that has always been popular with the masses - and it’s no wonder either. Theatre can sometimes feel formal and stuffy - inaccessible to children, families and ordinary people. However, panto welcomes all of those groups into the show and has something for everyone.

It’s the most welcoming, accessible theatre I’ve experienced, and I can’t wait to take part in this age-old British tradition again next Christmas