the lead musician managed this old and clearly well-loved tradition with a keen eye to the ridiculous , stopping his muchachos in order to create the most amusing couples : tall woman-short man , fat woman-skinny man , old woman-young man ( cuthbert ended up side-kicking with a woman as old as his great-granddame , to the sai 's breathless cackles and the company 's general roars of approval ) .