‘Like Rocky Horror for kids’

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This article was published 13/12/2023 (1002 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sick + Twisted Theatre is putting on a holiday panto this week at Prairie Theatre Exchange, taking the story of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf and turning the zaniness and sass up to 100.

“I’ve always loved the idea of a panto, and I don’t know that anyone in Winnipeg does them,” says Debbie Patterson, the artistic director of Sick + Twisted, a company dedicated to creating work exploring the experience of living with a disability.

”It’s such a mainstay in the holiday season elsewhere and I really wanted to make one happen here.”

Because the shows aren’t as common here, Patterson takes a moment to explain their appeal. “A panto is a family show, usually based on a fairy tale, with a lot of audience participation,” she says. “The audience is encouraged to boo when the bad guys go on stage and cheer for the good guys.”

Particularly popular in Britain, panto is a type of longform theatre filled with songs and clown-work. While the word pantomime might traditionally suggest silence on the actors’ part, Patterson says the style of theatre in the British approach actually refers to heightened, exaggerated comedy, augmented with music, gags and slapstick.

“It’s a little like Rocky Horror for kids,” says the acclaimed actor-director, who was a member of the company at this year’s Stratford Festival, playing in Richard II and Grand Magic.

For years, Patterson and her partner Arne McPherson were behind the annual shows based on Robert Munsch’s children’s books at PTE. When that was interrupted by the pandemic, Patterson was eager to bring a new holiday tradition to the city’s theatre scene.

In Little Red and Big Bad, a scripted panto written by Fiona Smith, the familiar fairy tale is given the signature Sick + Twisted touch, adding elements reflective of the experience of the performers, each of whom lives with either a visible or invisible disability.

“We wanted to have a sense of a quest, and we wanted to address some issues relevant to life,” Patterson says.

The granny character falls in love with the arborist, but can’t marry him for risk of losing her disability assistance and her independence.

Meanwhile, an evil stepmother character is in cahoots with a property developer trying to knock down granny’s shack and build condos. (Relatable, Winnipeg?)

Nothing is improvised in the show, aside from the audience interactions, which give the panto form a distinct energy not too dissimilar from drag.

Ultimately, says Patterson, the goal of the production is to make people laugh and feel alive; a dance break in the middle encourages the audience to get in on the action themselves.

The cast includes Kathy Arnold, Heather Bjorklund, Kevan Bowkett, Jude Hayes, Mitch Krohn, Rae Metcalfe, Dianna Rasing, Hailley Rhoda, Amanda Ritchot, Adam Schwartz, Theresa Thomson and Andrea von Wichert. Patterson directs.

The panto opens tonight and runs until Sunday afternoon, with all evening shows starting at 7 p.m. and both weekend matinees kicking off at 2 p.m. The Friday night show requires masks, the Saturday afternoon show has ASL interpretation, the Saturday night show will be available to livestream, and the Sunday afternoon show will be masked with live audio description available for those who need it.

All tickets are “pay what you will” with options from $5 to $30.

“No judgment, no shade,” Patterson says. “Pay whatever you want to pay.” Tickets are available at wfp.to/littlered or with cash at the door.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca