The messy kitchen, decorating or similar scene in which (usually two and almost always male) actors get covered in pie, gunge or messy foodstuffs is a hallowed tradition of panto. (As a young man in an amateur drama group I enjoyed doing it myself). However in recent pantos I've seen, the slosh act has been disappointing or even absent. Cambridge Arts Theatre is a notable exception with a fine tradition of messy slapstick.
Why is the slosh act endangered? Is it the expense of pie mix and gunge powder, which we all know can add up for a good session. Or are actors these days just not willing to get messy?