How did we get Pantomimes?
They evolved from Commedia dell’Arte became “Harlequinades” that went on to be the roots of the Pantomimes we see today. Today’s Pantomimes are a fusion of eccentricity, ambiguity, and absurdity, which have become a public demonstration of our British identity. How did we get here? Well, it all started back in Italy. Commedia dell’arte, which […]
Did you really enjoy the Hans Andersen Fairy Tales?
As children, our parents read us Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales such as Thumbelina, The Princess and the Pea, and The Little Mermaid, just to mention a few. The problem is they didn’t always have happy endings. For example, in The Red Shoes Karen has her feet cut off to teach her not to be […]
Where did Pantomime come from?
In the History of Pantomime, it is claimed that Pantomime has its roots in ‘Commedia dell’Arte’, a 16th-century Italian entertainment, however, in Roman in 467 BC they had Pantomimus , which was a mime show with a single dancer, it was popular especially with the Roman Emperors. It is has been claimed that Emperor Nero, […]
The real Dick Whittington
Dick Whittington is a well known pantomime. Of the many versions of it, our sister site Educationalmusicals.co.uk has published their our own version, Daring Dick Whittington. Just click on Daring Dick Whittington where you can download it today. In our version, Dick Whittington comes from a rich background. However, as he is not the first born […]
Santa Claus saves three sisters from Slavery
Santa Claus saves three sisters from Slavery Yes, the first Santa did just that and that is why today we hang up stockings at Christmas! Who was the first Santa? He was the Christian Bishop of Myra, also known as Nicholas of Bari. He was alive sometime around 300BC. Yes, a long time ago. He […]
St Boniface converts Pagans to Christians by cutting down a tree!
This happened in Germany 1300 years ago when St Boniface was trying to convince a group of pagans to become Christians. His problem was that they didn’t believe him, and he realised that he had to do something to convince them. To explain at this time in Northern Europe the people believed that the oak, […]
Where did Aladdin come from?
Originally it comes from the ‘Tales of the Arabian Nights’, but to be different the Pantomime Aladdin is based China. Would you believe that the first recorded performance of a show called Aladdin was as long ago as 1788? Of course, it wasn’t really a pantomime as we know it, however, over time it slowly […]
“Tulip Mania” a Dutch financial crisis
Tulip Mania discussed In the 17th century Holland had the highest per capita income in the world. This was because the Dutch Republic’s economic and financial system was at the time the most advanced and sophisticated ever seen in history. It is called the Dutch Golden Age. However, their sophistication in financial matters had its […]
The 1620s European Financial crisis.
Yes, they even had them in Europe in the 17th Century, they called this one “Tipper and See-Saw Time”, that was the name given to a financial crisis during the start of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). It occurred as the city-states in the Holy Roman Empire began to debase their currency, in order to […]
The story of Anne Bonny & Mary Read
On November 15th 1720 Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and Calico Jack were captured by Capt. Jonathan Barnet and brought to Spanish Town, Jamaica, for trial! Two Women Pirates! Anne Bonny and Mary Read were two amazingly successful women pirates, which is amazing, as at that time it was a hanging offence to even bring a […]