Real Life Stories

In the aftermath of the death of Nelson Mandela there has been much deserved eulogising. After all, the story of his life is astonishing: a man who endured so much oppression, injustice and abuse yet maintained his principles without compromise and, by so doing, ultimately displaced his oppressors. It may not be a unique story but it does have a happy ending. Or does it?

When you consider just how many stories, real or imagined, have been told in films, plays, novels, songs, folklore and so on, it can come as a surprise to learn that the number of possible plotlines is actually limited to three. The basis for this assertion is that all plots derive from some sort of conflict, after which the story is just a variation on the theme of resolution, or ending. According to this principle there are three readily identifiable types of story: the first is the happy ending,  Cinderella gets to marry the Prince; the second is the unhappy ending,  Cinderella doesn't get to marry the Prince; the third is the never-ending,  Cinderella gets to go to marry the Prince but that's only part of the story.

As you may have guessed, I have been to the panto (oh yes I have). Some of you might think that I have taken the first steps on my journey back to childhood, but be assured that this panto is a very adult affair, not a traditional one but a "boutique" production titled Buttons: Another Cinderella Story by the Charles Court Opera. Most of the gags and musical references require the audience to have a degree of maturity and/or experience as well as a willingness to accept that pantomime has licence to mock everything and everyone in the cause of exposing truth. Even Cinderella herself is not taken seriously in this production for - let's face it - she, with her guileless and forgiving nature, is just too good to be true. I am giving nothing away by saying that the story ends happily - or at least it did for me, since it left my cheeks streaked with tears of laughter.

Cinderella had to endure oppression, injustice and abuse but she got lucky and was rescued. But what if hers had been the 'never-ending' story type? In such a version some gallant at the ball would have spiked her drink, causing her to become  indiscreet and get caught in flagrante delicto in a broom cupboard by one of the catering staff on a minimum-wage, zero-hours contract, who tells Prince Charming's sister, who promises not to tell the Prince as long as Cinderella favours her when she becomes Queen. Alternatively, Cinderella marries the handsome prince and assumes the throne whereupon, corrupted by power, she becomes vindictive and proceeds to wreak vengeance on her ugly sisters and imprison anyone who might pose a threat to her dominance.

Storylines such as these would more closely reflect the real world as experienced by, for example, Nelson Mandela who, like Cinderella, was forgiving but, unlike her, didn't get lucky. By his own efforts he succeeded in the struggle to overthrow the evil, pernicious system of apartheid and, having succeeded, won not only power but also the moral high ground, which his refusal to contemplate revenge has made unassailable. His principle, "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy - then he becomes your partner”, is lofty but achievable.

But in a way Mandela's story did not have a happy ending: it is only a part of the evolving plot. It remains to be seen whether the pantomime baddies waiting in the wings who covet power for the sake of self-aggrandisement will get their comeuppance from the audience.