Why choose to perform Mother Goose...?
- ben60467
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
Updated: 24 hours ago
Created originally as a pantomime for the great Dan Leno, Mother Goose is often regarded as the best of all Dame roles and is a great pantomime script to choose if you have a strong Dame who wants to flex their acting muscles.
A lot of panto characters are pretty Teflon and bounce back quickly from adversity, but Mother Goose is more complex. She really does actually need to show some vulnerability.
Her vanity and quest for beauty is as old as the hills and the (temporary) loss of her magical goose is heart-breaking. But the pathos never dominates for long and with the Dame centre stage there is also scope for some great set-piece comedy – which in my version, includes a Wall Papering routine and a Haunted Hunting Cabin routine.
I decided to make the golden egg laying goose a snow goose, which led me to set my panto script in Norway. This creates a lovely Scandinavian feel and provides a strong theme for Designers to get hold of.
The story begins with the Festival of Christmas Jumpers (easily sourced!) and it is a Wicked Troll, Smorg, who tempts Mother Goose to bathe in the Bog of Beauty. I think the ‘Bog of Beauty’ says it all, and there is a sort of seedy naffness to Smorg which makes him different to all my other pantomime villains.
The story ends on Magic Mountain. Home of the irascible Lord High Snow Goose and fiercely guarded by Snowmen.
I know a lot of groups like to have some nice cameo parts for younger performers and the idea of snow men gave me the opportunity to include a great cameo scene for youngsters – in this instance, three Snowmen and a Boss Snowman, who is trying to lick them into shape…
BOSS. Fix noses!
(All three do so.)
BOSS. Snow man Two!
SM 2. Yessir?!
BOSS. Your head’s on wrong. Take your nose off and start again!
(2 takes off nose. 1 & 3 help to swivel head to reveal eyes. 2 reapplies nose.)
BOSS. Have you all got three buttons and a jaunty little scarf?
ALL 3. Yessir!
BOSS. Very good – Snowman Three!!
SM 3. Yessir?!
BOSS. You’ve come out without any eyes on at all. Go and get your eyes directly!
SM 3. Yessir! (Runs off.)
BOSS. Remember - you all of you need all of your bits, all of the time!
You know - it’s tough being a Snowman…