Strictly's Craig Revel Horwood Criticizes "Woke" Pantomime Adaptations

Craig Revel Horwood, a judge on the British television show "Strictly Come Dancing," has voiced his concerns over what he describes as a "woke" alterations to traditional pantomimes. Revel Horwood, who is set to play the villain Carabosse in "Sleeping Beauty" at the Bristol Hippodrome this December, has found some of the adjustments to the beloved holiday productions to be "weird."

One significant change he noted is the removal of the iconic kiss from "Sleeping Beauty." According to Revel Horwood, the traditional ending where the Prince awakens the Princess with a kiss has been altered because the kiss is now considered non-consensual, as the Princess is asleep. "So how are you going to tell the story where he comes and wakes her up after 100 years by kissing her if she can't consent because she's asleep?" he questioned.

Revel Horwood also pointed out that characters previously described as "ugly" are being rebranded. In his production of "Sleeping Beauty," his "ugly daughters" will no longer be referred to by that descriptor. "But they're not allowed to be called ugly anymore because no one is ugly," he stated, adding, "And you can't fat-shame anyone either. So, now they're called the sisters. Yeah, it's a bit weird, isn't it?"

He suggested that some traditional pantomime plots are proving difficult to adapt for contemporary audiences, citing "Snow White" as an example where the title has been changed to omit "and the Seven Dwarves."

The trend of adapting pantomimes for modern sensibilities has previously drawn attention and criticism. In one instance, a theatre removed a song about vegans from a pantomime, citing fears of potential bullying. Another theatre, The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, issued a content warning for its "Aladdin" pantomime, advising that some jokes might offend and that the show could be loud. This theatre also offered a "relaxed" performance for sensitive audiences.

The Everyman Theatre had previously faced backlash for a song in "Mother Goose" that reportedly contained lyrics critical of vegans, such as associating "G" in vegan with "gassy" and "A" with "anaemic or annoying." The theatre defended its creative process, emphasizing the refinement of live productions and the importance of audience feedback in the collaborative art form of pantomime.

Additionally, an "Aladdin" pantomime featuring an all-white cast and lyrics like "come on down to our oriental town" was condemned as racist.