Oh yes it is!

Friday evening one of the corps had invited us to an English pantomime. That was quite an experience (oh yes it was!). Pantomimes are apparently part of British culture (if you can call it that!) (oh yes you can!) at Christmas time. This one was a rendition of Cinderella. It is difficult to explain what it was like, but as you in the foyer could buy a big hand to use for either thumbs up or thumbs down during the show, we understood it probably would not be quite the same as going to the opera in Riga (not that some of us minded that too much!).

What we saw (and rather enjoyed) was a rendition of Cinderella with a somewhat free interpretation of the story line, songs added which apparently are pop hits and more bad jokes that you can count (the jokes were so bad they could have stolen from one on my sermons!). To give you an impression of the atmosphere I can just mention that Cinderella's two step sisters were played by men (in tights, dresses etc) – which again apparently is the tradition in pantomimes (the prince was played by a woman, but probably this was just because they had run out of male actors!) and one of the lines I remember was when the father of Cinderella had to explain what madness is, and quoted the well known song “Braindrops keep falling from my head”.

Add to all this an expectation of participation from the audience, like booing whenever the stepmother appeared, and the more traditional lines as “Oh, yes it is” when some of the bad guys would have a line including “No, he is not” or something similar and the line everyone was waiting for (we had been told before we entered the theater) “He's behind you!” While Cinderella is running away from the dance before midnight, she is pursued by her two stepsister in the wood and when they find her, she is not aware of their present. The whole theater starts shouting “He (or they) are behind you!”. She of course does not understand, and so everyone shouts louder. When she finally looks behind her, the sisters duck, and so there is nothing to see. As soon as she turns back, they reappear, and the audience shouts again.

The show was clear proof the developed and advanced level of British culture, or at least that was how we perceived it. (oh yes we did!). When we get out in the car park I stood with the car behind me and said “I can't find the car”, but neither Lisbeth nor Lukas felt called to shout back “It's behind you!”, so we still have a way to go before we are really contextualized (oh yes we do).

After having experienced this pinnacle of British culture, I am wondering whether the atmosphere of the pantomimes can be incorporated into sermons, using the thumbs up or down to immediately evaluate jokes and getting people to answer “Oh yes it is” or something similar at an appropriate time. (the preacher says: This is not important and the congregation replies: Oh yes it is. Or maybe: I still have time to cover my last point and everybody shouts, very loudly: Oh no you don't! Or next time a preacher says something like: I don't think I have told you this story before, the congregation quickly, before he/she gets a chance to continue, jumps in with a Oh yes you have! Just have not worked out where to use the “He is behind you” line. Any ideas?