Frieda Hughes: The lurid reality of an ‘adults only’ pantomime
The IndependentTHE NAUGHTY PANTOMIME It was adults only at The Kenton in Henley-on-Thames: Halfway through Sleeping With Beauty a pale and ghostly Seven-foot inflated phallus stepped onto the stage, Air-filled testicles bouncing against the footsteps of its inner man As he was followed by two more, the balls of one deflating And dragging on the floor, to the hysterical observations Of an enthusiastic audience. As I write this down, I realise our confusion was because The sexes were exchanged and nothing as it seemed Was meant to last, except our laughter and the bright green dildo In the gift bag on the theatre shelf, put there for safety and effect By an actor acting as a spellbound elf. Maleficent, In his skin-tight black with glittering horns, untied the story’s end With menacing grace and a crimson smile so wide It cracked the layers of chalk upon his face from side to side. When Princess Rose broke into song like a hyper-sexed canary The expressions of astonishment on the faces of my friends Were just as entertaining as the fat moustachioed queen, And the sparkling pink rhetoric of the pantomime fairy.
Discover Related
