Woke panto bosses pull song describing vegans as 'annoying'

A pantomime has pulled a song after several audience members complained that the lyrics about vegans would lead to bullying.

The song apparently said that the 'G in vegan stands for gassy, while the A stands for Paito Sydney either anaemic or annoying'. 

It appeared in a performance of Mother Goose at The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.




The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham dropped a song used in its performance of Mother Goose after members of the public complained about its vegan theme





Patrons complained the song which described vegans as 'gassy' could lead to bullying

The theatre said: 'Our pantomime Mother Goose is a live production which is constantly being refined and improved.

'The creative team behind this year's production continuously evaluates all aspects of the performance in order to create the best, most entertaining experience for the audience possible.

'Pantomime is a uniquely collaborative art form where the audience is very much a part of the show and we respect all of our audiences views and comments.

'The relationship between our amazingly talented cast and the audience is what makes pantomime special and makes each and every performance a singular live event.'




A spokesman for the Everyman Theatre said the show was constantly being 'refined and improved' 





The performance of Mother Goose in Cheltenham was forced to change one of its songs

Last year, an Aladdin pantomime with an all-white cast and featuring the lyric 'come on down to our oriental town' was condemned as racist.

The production starred Scott Sutcliffe as Aladdin, Coronation Street's Connor McIntyre as Abanazar, The Voice contestant Kelsey Beth Crossley as Princess Jasmine and actor Nigel Peever as The Emperor.

Actor Irvine Iqbal, who appeared in the West End production of Aladdin as the Sultan, called the pantomime at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena 'shameful' and demanded an 'industry-wide conversation' about casting.

In Ansty, Dorset, a 41-year-old pantomime was forced to close after it was accused of 'cultural insensitivity'. 

A complaint over the names of Chinese launderette workers Chop Chop and Wishy-Washy in the script led to the production's axing, according to villagers.

The complainant, thought to be the mother of a cast member, had written to the production team to express her concerns over the names of the characters.

She feared they might upset audience members, particularly those from ethnic minorities.

After committee deliberations, the production team decided it would not be possible to change the script and their only option was to cancel the show.

In 2021, former model and panto star Linda Lusardi warned against using 'trigger warnings' after a Cambridge theatre group advised the audience that their version of Rapunzel contains scenes of 'violence, homophobia and kidnap'.  


Veganism