h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Smashing entry! I've been involved in writing and taking part in diddy panto. This is where a group of friends decide to entertain their family and friends by putting on a christmas show in a panto format. Everyone has to raid ther wardrobes for potential costumes. Wigs etc. are found for the dame. The recent fad of having cheap glowing and flashing things is a great boon for people equipping the magical characters like the Fairy Godmother.

We use someone's front room and have the audience crushed down one end while the players are at the other.

Don't forget the running gag! This is normally introduced by a character early in the panto. S/he calls the audience into their confidence by telling them to look out for something (e.g. I've hidden my copy of the treasure map in this box and I don't want anyone to find it. If the lid of the box is open tell me to "Close the box!" when I'm on stage) the other characters, of course are forever accidentally leaving the box open.

The Big Match was orginally a diddy panto designed to take the mickey out of our teacher's panto for charity! I love the diddy format! You don't have to spend so much time writting the buggers!

Running gags are optional. The best one I know is the lawyer gag. At the start of the play a lawyer turns to the narrator/ prologue and says "I'm going to court" and exits. He returns after a few minutes with a briefcase and says "It was a brief case" and exits. He then enters with a ladder and says he's going to a higher court. By the end of play he has done so many pathetic gags like this that the comics end up throttling him!

Prompts courtroom joke:
Defendant - I couldn't help it I was drunk as a judge!
Judge - Don't you mean drunk as a lord?
Defendant - Yes m'lord!