As the production crew ramps up the frights, secrets start to be revealed… these teenagers have hidden motives for taking part in It’s Behind You! and could some of them be… murder? A scriptwriter of long standing for shows such as “Eastenders” and “Doc Martin”, Keith Temple has obviously had great fun writing about a world he knows well in his debut novel. All in all, recommended to all! This is a perfect scary/spooky/exciting read and I am so happy that I read it. It was perfect for a hot summer day, some chills! I cannot wait to see what is next for this author! Think of the combined power of television and the internet and you start to understand the theatre’s reach and influence in the 18 th century Despite loving this book and every twist turn… I just wasn’t a fan, or not that much, of any of the characters. Well, OK, maybe Erin was a contender for someone to like, but it took me a long time to get through that wall of hers and see another Erin. Charlotte was just horrible and maybe should see a doctor? I mean, if you are so obsessed with someone to the point that you TALK with an imaginary them in PUBLIC and even make up some very sexy/swoony fanfic.. and wear a sweater with their face on it? It is time to seek help. I just wasn’t a fan of her. She was just too much OMG ANTON YESSSSSS. And then there is Grayson. Who I wasn’t that big of a fan of, but I think for me, it would have helped if instead of the jilted ex-lover he was her brother. Later on with all the things I could see it work better the way it was written, but still, it just was a bit too much for me. I guess that is the point, but still.

The pacing of the story was good. The characters and their motivations were revealed is good snippets throughout. I felt like at times I knew where it was going, and had it figured out before the end, but it did keep me guessing. Don’t trust anyone. Harlequinades were tremendous fun to watch. Amazing transformations happened at the touch of Harlequin’s magic wand, with mechanical serpents and flying vehicles. Rich also introduced animal roles: dragons, ostriches, dogs and camels. Pantomime has always been fascinated by the crossing or transgression of boundaries: the pleasurable ambiguity of men dressed up as women, and the fun of animals played by human beings. Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. The wraparound shades remain firmly in place, as do the full make up, wig and cigarette rammed into ostentatiously brandished cigarette holder - along with the full-on diva attitude - but when the bills still have to be paid a girl has to take whatever is going.I think this book is the definition of “meh”. I finished it yesterday and I don’t even remember any of the characters names.

A solid and fast-paced thriller. It's Behind You reminded me of the Scream tv show, where the stakes are high and the killer is the last person you'd expect, but it's too entertaining and over the top to actually be scared. In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'. Our story begins with the commedia dell'arte tradition. The phrase means ‘comedy of the artists’ and these improvised performances took place outside in Italian streets and marketplaces. Commedia was a versatile, popular and influential art form.The centre of comic gravity is certainly shifting: away from the Clown and toward an unexpected star: a careworn mother, haggard and a bit of a gossip, struggling to cope in this unfriendly world. Pantomime crystallises around the story of a dysfunctional family and that strange, eccentric figure of the Dame. Dan Leno was the celebrated music-hall performer who created this garrulous, working-class woman. That ending! WOW! WOW! WOW! Kind of sad the game of tag was over, but this was also fine with me. Things really got put in a rollercoaster! The story of pantomime is a tale of dragons and serpents. It features men dressed as women, and women masquerading as young men. Pantomime presents a tale of good and evil, where hope triumphs over adversity after danger and virtual despair. It has its roots in ancient Greece, and via Italy and France, insinuates itself into Britain. Pantomime's unique fusion of eccentricity, ambiguity and absurdity has much to tell us about our national identity. Christmas, for many of us, would not be Christmas without pantomime; and pantomime was the place we first discovered the magic of theatre.

All of the characters were really interesting to me and the twists and turns of events had me go from liking to disliking to liking the characters again. The MC whom I thought I would dislike the most at the beginning of the book, I actually ended up liking the most by the ending. I felt like the narration from first person persepective helped with the mystery of the story and it was really fun guessing with them, because you only got to know what the current MC of the chapter knows. did I just finish this entire book in one sitting without even closing it once? Yes I did. To be honest I only did that because people always say you should always finish a horror movie before sleeping so I felt compelled to do the same with this horror book. That it took place in London. So fun! And I love that the city just continued on while people were doing things. I had kind of expected, given who Anton is, that maybe he would do things so that things were more secluded, but instead it is just a big game of tag in the middle of busy London. Across the UK, children and adults come to their local theatre to be dazzled and thrilled by the spectacle and the fun of pantomime.but let me tell you this wasn’t nearly as scary as I expected it to be, there was like one thing that was actually scary and the rest was okay I guess. Rich’s pantomimes cleverly fused commedia, spectacle, music, ballet and myth. Like the commedia's Arlecchino, this Harlequin displayed extraordinary physical agility, and elemental desires for food, drink and sex. But unlike Arlecchino, the first English Harlequins did not speak. Causing controversy and cashing in on a craze It took a bit for the story to get going (and I initially hated the MC, Lex) but once all the contestants entered the cave, the story really took off. The setting was exceptional and the feeling of dread and claustrophobia was palpable throughout the story. Not to like pantomime, the journalist Leigh Hunt declared, is not to like love: pantomime is a curious blend of continental and British traditions. The raw energy of music hall, the sauciness of Victorian burlesque, the crazy chase of the harlequinade, the acrobatic power of John Rich, the archetypal plots of commedia. All these elements have shaped the pantomimes we enjoy today. The story of pantomime is a story of transformation and endless adaptation.

It’s the age of Regency: Britain is at war with France; there’s intense social unrest and violent confrontations between the government and the people. Again, pantomime seems to embody the spirit of the age, this time in more political terms. How did pantomime come to be the form of entertainment it is today? What is it that attracts us - young and old - to this bizarre medley of fairy tale, dance, jokes and song? And how did it become part of our Christmas traditions? Professor Jane Moody, Director of the Humanities Research Centre and Professor in the Department of English and Related Literature, takes us on a journey through pantomime's colourful history. The concept of the book was actually interesting enough and I liked exploring the different motives behind each character joining the game. One of the main characters Erin was what kept me reading, shes the only character that to me was more developed and less like a cliche. I really liked her character and reading her chapters was enjoyable. I have mixed thoughts on the plot twist, I liked Grayson at the start and I really shipped him and Beatrix and so I’m mad that he’s a bad person. Also I feel like the plot twist was too cliche, multiple characters made jokes about how it’s always the ex bf and then it was him, it felt so stereotypical. At the same time, in a way I thought that would be too obvious and cliche for a plot twist so I completely dismissed the possibility so maybe that did actually make it a good plot twist. Also the way the book tried to make us feel sorry for Grayson at first and view Rose as mean and an antagonist, only for it to be revealed that he was actually a stalker and harassed her because he wasn’t over the breakup was a good comment on sexism (Alexa play The Man by Taylor Swift). I thought the fact that pretty much everybody in the book did something to treat Rose badly in her life was a good plot point, it’s giving an inspector calls (the English teachers at my school would love it).The amazing leaps and pratfalls he performed forced Grimaldi into premature retirement, destitution and an early death. Thousands of people would line the streets as his coffin made its way up to Pentonville Hill. Into the Victoria age - Dan Leno and the Pantomime Dame