Every panto connoisseur knows, however, that the most fun part of any good pantomime performance is getting to interact with the show’s villain. Often bumbling yet cartoonishly over-the-top, attendees are often invited to boo, deride and trip up the baddies’ plans by pointing them in the wrong direction. We love to hate them for a reason – a great panto villain represents something of a theatrical wrestling heel. One of the many returning cast members from last year’s Beauty and the Beast, Jason Sakaki is set to take up that mantle for the second straight year.

“A perfect panto villain is someone the audience can both laugh at and boo at – you have to find this middle ground of being not too overly evil and a little bit silly, because it’s still a comedy,” Sakaki says. “You still have to be a redeeming character at points, or else the stakes kind of get lost. But this year’s villain is a recognizable political figure. So we’ve been riding the line of what the public knows of this political figure, but also inventing new ways to make this person funny. Because, in real life, not a funny person.”

Yes, this year’s show does come with some parallels to real-life villainy. Sakaki is set to play Prince Ken, a take on Vancouver’s mayor, Ken Sim. Paralleling the original story’s themes of class struggle, the writing team of Jiv Parasram and Christine Quintana – known for their political satire – have crafted a topical story. Robin Hood and his band of animals, residents of local Trout Lake Park, must defeat Prince Ken’s plan to make the city’s parks pay-to-enter, mirroring the real Ken’s plans to abolish the parks board. 

In the true spirit of the panto, the original story and themes of Robin Hood became less of something to faithfully adapt and more of a jumping-off point – or “a vibe,” as Sakaki says – to use familiar characters and a very loose framework to make a point about something original. In this case, Parasram and Quintana wanted to use Robin Hood’s forest setting to say something about the East Van community’s relationship with nature.

“I think everyone can take away that our relationship with the neighbourhood we live in is the most important thing,” Sakaki says. “We always kind of don’t care about local politics – in the Vancouver election, only 36 percent of people showed up to vote. We’re trying to stress the importance that our community is the big thing – we can vote in the federal election, and that’ll make large policy changes. But it’s also about our day-to-day lives, how we interact with parks, our streets and our schools.”

For anyone with a gang of little ones to bring along – or someone who simply wants to escape from anything political at this juncture in time – you don’t need to worry about the panto shifting into any kind of serious political analysis. The main goal is always going to be presenting something “completely bonkers,” with puns, physical comedy, and an irreverent spirit.

“I think people come to it because it’s two hours that they can sit in the theatre and forget and laugh about the world. Especially in a time like now, because people are going through a lot, and they honestly just want to be happy and watch these completely ridiculous characters do the dumbest thing,” Sakaki says. “There’s no snottiness in the panto. There’s no one who can turn their nose up at it, because everyone who comes lets go of the fact that this is not going to be Shakespeare – because I’ve also done Shakespeare!”

Sakaki is actually fresh off of a role as Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys, a role where he got to exercise some of his musical prowess that he will continue to display in the panto. Since Mayor Sim is a well-known metalhead, trust the whimsical mind of musical director Veda Hille to place him centre stage, belting out a Metallica tune. Not only did Sakaki have to shift from ‘60s doo-wop to thrashing guitars, but he also says he has to shift his brain into panto mode – but that’s all the fun of his job.

“I was playing someone who exists and had a specific timbre to his voice, and so I tried to emulate as much of the original vocalist as I could, and then coming into this I’m basically inventing two characters in the show, and that gives me a lot more agency to make bold choices,” he says. “I ended that show and went into rehearsals for this the next day. It’s a big thing to wrap your brain around. But the gift of acting is that no two contracts are the same, and so getting to stretch myself in that way is a really fun challenge.”

The panto’s musical elements are always a special treat, with interpretations of today’s biggest hits as well as some timeless classics set to new and hilarious lyrics. “One of the songs is just about my character’s obsession with horses,” Sakaki says. With Amy Winehouse, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan and many others set to join Metallica on the show’s official playlist, the decade and genre-spanning song selection is just another way that the panto sets out to appeal to every audience member who steps foot in the theatre.

“People really care about East Van; just walking down the street here you see so much community,” Sakaki says. “You go to the show and recognize people from your neighbourhood, and you see friends you haven’t seen in a while. As an actor, it’s really cool to feed the community that the show builds. I still go to bars and meet people who saw last year’s show and recognize me as the mattress. What is your water cooler conversation about? During the holiday season it’s the East Van Panto. It’s one thing that the community can cling to and feel like they have ownership of, which I think is something really special.”

The East Van Panto’s Robin Hood runs Nov. 20 to January 5 at the York Theatre (Vancouver, BC)

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