It's Panto - Oh No It Isn't! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pumpkin

The story used for panto is based on the adaptation of a traditional story by Charles Perrault in 1697. It was first performed as a Panto at the Drury lane Theatre in London in 1904. A pumpkin becomes a coach, mice become horses, a rat becomes a coachman and lizards become footmen. Cinderella's rags are turned into a ball gown along with glass slippers. All of this will change back at midnight.

There is a theory that the slippers should be fur rather than glass due to a mistake in the original translation from French.

Other characters are the Ugly Sisters, Buttons, Dandini, Baron Hardup (Cinderella's father), the Broker's men and, of course, the Wicked Stepmother. The story has been adapted for Ballet, Opera, Film, Cartoon and Musical Theatre and the phrase "Cinderella Story" has entered the English language to tell of someone who goes from rags to riches.

Answer: Mouse

Once the ogre has changed into a mouse it is the end for him as the cat kills him and he and his master become heroes. The King then gives the hand of the Princess to the miller's son. This is another tale adapted by Charles Perrault in the late 17th century.

It is not so popular as "Cinderella" but has also been used in other contexts such as ballet, film and television. The cat as a hero is questionable as he tricks, lies and cheats his way to his master's success, however, as Perrault might have said - "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose".

Answer: Joseph Grimaldi

Charles Perrault is once again at the forefront of this Panto story. He produced a book of fairy tales in 1695 called "Tales of my Mother Goose" in which Mother Goose is the storyteller from which many well-known stories and Pantos emanate (Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss-in-Boots etc).

She can be represented as an old woman or even a goose but in the first Pantomime she was a witch. There have been various claims that Mother Goose was based on a real person although it is generally believed to be a name given to an archetypal country woman.

Answer: Wolf

"Little Red Riding Hood" is another folk tale adapted in different forms by Charles Perrault (again!) and The Grimm Brothers. The original story was far more bloodthirsty than the one that tends to be used today. Originally the Wolf ate both Red Riding Hood and Grandma and they were both cut out of his stomach by a woodman.

His stomach was filled with stones and when he went to the river to drink he fell in and drowned. The story has been adapted many times including the Roald Dahl version where Red Riding Hood produces a pistol from her knickers and ends up wearing a wolkskin coat!

Answer: Abanazer

"Aladdin" was added to the Arabic tales called the "One Thousand and One Nights" by French translator Antoine Galland in 1709. The tales were supposedly told to the Persian King by one of his wives, Scheherazade, who risked death if any of them displeased him.

The Panto has characters like Abanazer, Widow Twankey, the Genie, Ping & Pong and the Princess. Aladdin, a poor boy, finds the Magic Lamp and eventually outwits his evil Uncle to obtain the three wishes from the Genie and gain the riches from the Treasure Cave.

The story has often been adapted and, in 1992, Disney produced a high profile animated feature of it which received many awards - notably two Oscars for its songs and music.

Answer: Forty Thieves

Another tale from the "One Thousand and One Nights" which may or may not have been in the original stories according to which source you believe. Ali Baba overhears the thieves talking and discovers their phrase for entering the Magic Cave where they keep their ill-gotten gains. By using "Open Sesame" he can enter it at will and help himself.

His sister-in-law finds out his secret and his already rich, greedy brother, Cassim, enters the cave but forgets the words (Close, Sesame) to get out. The thieves kill him and then go in search of Ali.

However, the thieves are outwitted at every turn by a slave girl, Morgiana, who is given the hand of Ali's son as her reward.

Answer: Bow Bells

"Turn again Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London" was what the bells tolled out as he was leaving, after he found that the streets weren't "paved with gold". The story is loosely based on the real Richard Whittington who was from a wealthy family but does not appear to have had a cat, unlike the character in the Panto who is an orphan with a cat, who walks to London.

The real Whittington was thrice Lord Mayor in the 14th/15th centuries so there is some basis of truth which seems to have been amalgamated with an old story from a Persian manuscript. Dick worked as a scullery boy for Alderman Fitzwarren, bought a cat and traveled on Fitzwarren's ship to North Africa where the cat cleared a plague of rats at the Sultan's Palace. To thank him the Sultan made Dick rich so that when he returned to London he bought into Fitzwarren's business, married his daughter, Alice, and became thrice Lord Mayor of London, as the bells predicted.

Answer: Poisoned Shoes

This story is one of the best known tales used for Panto - the most popular being the German version collected by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length Disney animation in 1937 and won a special Oscar plus seven miniature ones for the Dwarfs. Like many of these stories it has become less violent for modern consumption and sometimes the Dwarfs are even omitted or substituted due to them being "vertically challenged".

In the original story the Queen (or Wicked Stepmother) went to Snow White's wedding but was recognised and forced to wear red hot shoes and dance herself to death. Charming!

Answer: Great Ormond Street

Barrie's "boy who wouldn't grow up" is frequently produced as a Panto. It began as a play in 1904 before it was novelised as "Peter and Wendy" in 1911. The lead character is usually able to fly across the stage and sometimes round the auditorium so it is usually very spectacular.

The various factions are often at loggerheads in Neverland (Lost Boys, Pirates, Indians, Mermaids and, not least, the Crocodile) and Tinker Bell hardly likes anybody! There have been numerous film/TV adaptations of the story and spin-offs connected with it.

There have been books - including a sequel in 2006 "Peter Pan in Scarlet" - as well as public statues in different parts of the world. Peter Pan is an iconic figure - even Cliff Richard is regularly compared with him!

Answer: Bread

"Jack and the Beanstalk" is an English fairy tale first published in 1807. It is a very popular Panto with a well-known story. Jack sells the family cow for a handful of beans and is castigated by his mother who throws them out of the window. The next day there is a beanstalk reaching to the sky which Jack climbs and reaches the Giant's castle.

He outwits the Giant and steals his gold and then cuts down the beanstalk as the Giant tries to chase him. A follow up to the story was written by Raymond Briggs in 1973 in which the Giant is revisited by Jim (probably Jack's great grandson). Jim Supplies him with false teeth, a red wig and glasses because he has become very elderly by this time.

In return the Giant gives him gold coins! Jim's Mum was quite pleased!