Of tall tales, strange characters and stirring up your bookshelves

 I have always been fascinated by the notion that characters in books can mix with each other across stories and across bookshelves on certain nights of the year. No idea where that came from - it may even have been something I made up as a child (always had heaps of imagination, plenty of day dreams and a good dose of "fey").

In fact, 36 years ago (!!!!) I wrote a pantomime - helped by 2 of my colleagues and friends at that time - John McCran - who sadly is no longer with us, and Tony Hadley - not _the_ Tony Hadley, but a Welsh physio. The basic plotline was mine, John and Tony helped with details and with the script - which I seem to remember having to censor on many, _many_  occasions.

The plot line followed something like this:

7 years after the Snow White/Prince Charming happily ever after and the 7 year itch was beginning to show cracks in the marriage. The wicked queen had heard that the Holy Grail can give immortal youth and beauty and she wanted some of that, so she closed the Diamond Mine until the Dwarves brought her the Holy Grail

The Dwarves kidnapped Snow White for ransom in the hope that Prince Charming would search for the Holy Grail and bring it to them - Prince Charming was not that bothered about getting Snow back but decided the money from the Diamond mine might come in handy if he could strike a deal with the Dwarves.

Enter Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Inspector Clousseau (and his trusty minky) who arrive to help the Prince. They have a magic book that gives them a treasure hunt of items to collect that will lead them to the Holy Grail (glass slipper, a beret, follow an arrow to where it lands in order to get the hair of the dog, a lamp)

As they move through the Enchanted Forest they interact with a number of characters 

• The Ugly Sisters - who will only give up the glass slipper if they are escorted to the pub by Sherlock and Clousseau who manage to evade them but are chased throughout the rest of the panto - never quite getting caught.
• Frank Spencer and Jessica (the minky does a whoopsie in the beret) - cultural reference which you may not get if you didn't grow up in the UK in the 1970s)
•  Robin Hood, who's moved from Sherwood Forest into the Enchanted Forest to get away from his merry men who won't stop swinging through trees
• Dougal from the Magic Roundabout (and Florence, Dylan and Zebedee)
• Aladdin and the Genie
• Baloo the bear - who holds the Holy Grail

 

Throughout the story the ubiquitous crowd scene players appear only to be told "you're not on yet" and no-one actually knowing who they are or why they are there. They eventually have a sit in union meeting and are promised an act of their own. They arrive to take control of "their act" only for the final curtain to come down as the panto finishes (with the wicked queen - having drunk from the Holy Grail - and Charming running away together).

I had forgotten so many of the details until recently an old friend from those days retired and in clearing out his office he came across the script, stage plans etc in a folder and sent it on to me.

Unlike most stories,  fairy tales are fluid and change from culture to culture. Word of mouth rather than print is how they have tended to be diffused, shaped by the teller and their own values and beliefs. Over time they have been accessible to the literate and the non-literate and have often contributed to the evolution of societies with moral, ethical, political and cultural conflicts. They have been around long before the advent of the printed word - and in fact it wasn't until the early 17th century that the phrase was coined "Les contes de fee" by Mme. d'Aulnoy. At that time they were very much seen as the realm of the female - stories being told by governesses, grandmothers and in the private salons as a way of kicking against the restrictive practices of the royal court and the church.

 Today we tend to associate this genre more with male writers: Perrault,  and The Brothers Grimm who were more often curators from narratives and oral traditions, whilst Hans Christian Andersen did write original material too.-  I am currently researching into the difference and/or similarities between fairy tales and folklore - a huge rabbit hole indeed that includes close links between tales and the political climates at any given time, how stories are adapted to circumstance etc. Interesting - but is going to take some time!

What can we learn from Fairy Tales:  I recently came across this https://mapleleafmommy.com/family/parenting/fairy-tale-lessons/

• Trust Your Instinct, Be Kind, and Listen to Your Heart. ...
• Heroes Come in All Shapes and Sizes. ...
• The Truth Will Come Out — Eventually. ...
• Don't Judge a Person by Their Appearance. ...
• Always Read First Before Signing Your Life Away. ...
• Try Something New Every Day. ...
• The Easy Way Isn't Always the Best Way.
  
  
  
  
  

What has brought it to mind now is that I have started to binge watch a series I found on Netflix - Once Upon a Time - which has me enthralled. It has all the elements I love and is perhaps the story I wish I could have written. It is not so 'tongue-in-cheek' as my story, the characters are more 3D and the plot twists and turns are just great. But ultimately, it has the story book characters mixing together to create a great watch... and it has 7 seasons - good job I'm retired!! If you like this sort of thing I highly recommend it to you.

If you're not into this sort of thing - at least take a look at your bookshelves and consider who might be mixing with whom and in what worlds next time the magic happens..........maybe even move them around a bit?