What is the difference between a "normal panto" and an "adult panto"?
Posted by Additional-Bear-5892@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 49 comments
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Posted by Additional-Bear-5892@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 49 comments
[removed]
Strangest-Smell@reddit
There’s a fine line between innuendo and dirty humour.
I would expect an adult panto to cross that line.
I would not expect racism or other minority bashing.
TheRadishBros@reddit
Where on earth was this panto? Lincolnshire?
werewolfbutch874@reddit
As someone who lived in Lincs until last year, I was offended for a moment and then went “…. yeah probably was” 😔
YSNBsleep@reddit
I have never and will never understand panto. Its humour is outdated and sad, adult or no.
It glorifies ignorance and base stupidity. Absolutely no artistic merit at all.
ClumsyandLost@reddit
I'd expect lots of sexual references and swearing. I wouldn't be expecting racism. So sorry you experienced that.
LonelyArmpit@reddit
Random racism in an adult panto is absolutely wild.
My experience of them is heavily drag show vibes, which itself is a minority community, so seems mental that it was used as a platform to mock other minorities
KeyboardMash615@reddit
Like you, I would have expected the jokes to be cruder and more explicit.
Any_Weird_8686@reddit
I'd think it would be more 'adult' than adult, if you know what I mean.
No-Photograph3463@reddit
Most Pantos which advertise themselves as being 'Adult' are from the Jim Davison and 1970/80s era of comedy where being racist and homophobic is funny apparently. It's the sort of shit my parents would go see and find hilarious sadly.
Go see a shitfaced Panto or better yet Shit Faced Shakespeare and it will be 1000 times better and be broadly what your looking for.
Louis_lousta@reddit
Shit faced shakespeare is fucking hilarious, been twice and both times nearly died laughing
neilm1000@reddit
How many of these have you been to? Or are you just making sweeping generalisations which contradict what others in the thread are saying?
No-Photograph3463@reddit
All the ones in my area that I have seen advertised as Adult have all said that there is 'zero political correctness' and the ones my parents have been to have definitely been on the racist side unfortunately. Likely due to the area I live being full of old people who still think that sort of stuff is funny.
fickle_tartan@reddit
Idk about "most", maybe some, but every one I've ever seen has been basically the opposite of that.
ClickerKnocker@reddit
Loads of camp innuendos.
DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit
An adult panto is the same as a normal panto except ut uncludes swearing and knob jokes.
Jim Davidson popularized the form in the 1990s. I'm no fan of Davidson but even I have to admit Sinderella is funny, though that is mainly due to the hilarious pairing of Dave Lee and Roger Kitter as The Ugly Sisters.
Penelope_Queef@reddit
I'm sorry but that sounds absolutely hilarious. A bunch of gammons guffawing without a hint of irony at an 'anti-woke panto'. The fact that panto is musical theatre, and musical theatre = woke, or gay, or whatever. Not to mention the tradition of the 'panto dame', being a man dressed up in drag. They must bloody love a bit of that - as long as there are no kids there who would be 'corrupted' by such ideas!
Prestigious_Emu6039@reddit
Everyones a potential target in an adult panto,it you are easily offended best not attend.
Excluding certain groups from humour is racist, people are able the laugh at themselves and often enjoy doing do, especially the British.
thebigperson8@reddit
I went to a family panto a few years ago, lots of little kids there, imagine the adults surprise when they start yelling about 'a giant green erection in the garden!' luckily it went right over the kids heads as far as I know (Jack and the beanstalk)
Inevitable_Thing_270@reddit
I went to an “adult panto” years ago and it was lots of obvious sexual references and swearing, and stuff kids wouldn’t understand. It was very funny
Sounds like what you got was a panto written by AHs for AHs. Sorry that you went through that. And ashamed it exists tbh
Rosekernow@reddit
The couple I’ve seen have been fairly spicy sex jokes, not the nudge nudge innuendo you can get away with in a normal panto and a fair bit of swearing. Also, a lot of taking potshots at the neighbouring city. One involved dick shaped confetti being sprayed out over the audience. The bar was serving themed cocktails too.
There was a French joke in one of them, the old saw about French armies saluting with both hands (which was actually part of the set up for a blow job joke in itself) but no racism and no slurs.
matbur81@reddit
Adult panto is quite simple humour but with adult context. It appeals to a certain type.
But-Must-I@reddit
I went to an adult panto in January and it was more like a drag show with panto vibes. Lots of very heavy innuendo as well as outright sexual jokes and references to queer culture, which most of the cast obviously were, as well as classic panto local flavour like dunking on the neighbouring town and referring to the local night spots and clubbing street, that kind of thing.
I was expecting it to be awful but it was a lot of fun and I’d do it again, sorry your experience was like that!
PomegranateV2@reddit
Ricky Gervais as the genie.
snarfalicious420@reddit
entersandmum143@reddit
Oh. I'd definitely expect more blatant innuendo.
Racism? F*cking test me on that. Absolutely not!
bluebeardscastle@reddit
Depends who's in it. I've seen adult pantos advertised at venues like Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London and you sort of know what you're going to get based on the venue and its demographic.
Similarly, as other people have mentioned, Jim Davidson used to tour his adult pantos and I think has started putting them on again recently. He's all over the posters, it's advertised as 'Jim Davidson's' show and there are warnings in bold about the jokes covering 'topics some might find offensive'. I'd argue that you sort of know what you're going to get when go to that show too.
badgerandcheese@reddit
“They’re behind you” is quite different.
welsh_cthulhu@reddit
Cock and fanny jokes
fickle_tartan@reddit
I'd expect the same thing as you did, all the ones I've ever heard of have been like that too, the only one I've actually been to was all drag queens/kings so absolutely nothing like the one you saw!
Sounds like a shitty production and lame excuse to be a bigot.
sv21js@reddit
I had no idea there was such a thing as an Easter pantomime but upon doing some research I see that it seems to be a new thing people are doing. I think it’s not normal whatsoever that the show you saw contained that content.
sheepandlambs@reddit
I go to my local panto every year and love it. I went to an adult panto last year and did not love it.
It was full of the sort of humour I would have loved when I was 15. Keith Lemon, Little Britain style rude jokes, that kind of thing. I was more embarrassed to be there than I was at the one for kids, which I love attending.
I shan't be going again. Meanwhile I've already booked tickets for the normal panto this year.
Starboard_1982@reddit
I think the pantomime being on at this time of year is a red flag straight away surely? I thought they were a Christmas thing, or is there a weird Easter pantomime tradition that I'm not aware of?
FourCats44@reddit
Oh no it isn't!
himit@reddit
Oh yes it is!
Sad_Pie_3862@reddit
It's behind you!
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
There’s defo Easter panto its just nowhere near as big a thing as Christmas panto
Starboard_1982@reddit
Well, as the kids say, TIL.
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
Panto helps a lot of theatres keep the lights on for the rest of the year, so they milk it lol
SnooDonuts6494@reddit
Nudity, sex, violence, strong language, drugs. Like an 18 movie.
Fancy-Professor-7113@reddit
I've been to some adult drag pantos and they were just ruder (for want of a better word). Definitely no punching down or racism or anything like that. Sounds rough.
dinkidoo7693@reddit
Id expect lots of swearing, a proper drag queen act instead of a dame and lots of sexual type jokes.
I wouldn’t expect racism or homophobia though.
Dutch_Slim@reddit
Basically as you describe but more innuendo and less overt racism (but def some “slightly racist” comments).
JoeDaStudd@reddit
I've been a few and they vary.
The good ones are full of slapstick humour, genuine chaos, adult jokes and adult props.\ The meh ones are basically a traditional panto with some adult references and slightly slutty outfits.
The best one was a 3 person show doing about 20 characters between them so lots of quick changes and natural screwups.\ It was Cinderella set in a brothel so loads of room for adults jokes and props. At some point the assortment of dildos hit the front row. Pretty sure a few random bits of the set had issues as well.
PatternWeary3647@reddit
I wouldn’t expect this.
I’d expect sexual humour, swearing, and a drag show vibe.
LordSwright@reddit
I'd expect a carry on performance Perhaps with a pair of tits
No_Promotion_65@reddit
Jim Davidson
when_music_hits@reddit
Inuendo
Prudent-Pressure2146@reddit
I’ve been to adult pantos before and they were never like that, it was just as you described really - blatant innuendo lol. Having said that I’ve seen a few advertised with Jim Davidson etc which I imagine go down the racist route
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