a b c d e f g Mayer, David. "Pantomime, British", Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance, Oxford University Press, 2003, accessed 21 October 2011 (subscription required) Roman pantomime was immensely popular from the end of the first century BC until the end of the sixth century AD, [15] a form of entertainment that spread throughout the empire where, because of its wordless nature, it did more than any other art to foster knowledge of the myths and Roman legends that formed its subject-matter – tales such as those of the love of Venus and Mars and of Dido and Aeneas – while in Italy its chief exponents were celebrities, often the protegés of influential citizens, whose followers wore badges proclaiming their allegiance and engaged in street-fights with rival groups, while its accompanying songs became widely known. [ failed verification] Yet, because of the limits imposed upon Roman citizens' dance, the populism of its song-texts and other factors, the art was as much despised as adored, [15] and its practitioners were usually slaves or freedmen. [ citation needed] Pantomime began as a development of the Commedia dell'Arte or Harlequinade, in which the characters from that tradition were used as a Universal-Adaptor Cast to parody well-known stories. Victorian pantomimes often included a climactic "Transformation Scene", in which the characters were transformed into their Harlequinade analogues. This became increasingly perfunctory and was eventually abandoned as the pure Harlequinade died out and the characters became less recognisable to younger audience members. To an outsider, pantomime traditions may seem bizarre, even misjudged. However, to those who grew up with panto, there are many governing rules, fun quirks and bizarre twists that work together to make the panto magic we all know and love. Why are pantomime traditions important?

Outside Britain, the word "pantomime" is often understood to mean miming, rather than the theatrical form described here. [6] History [ edit ] Ancient Rome [ edit ] 2nd-century Macedonian theatrical sculpture, thought to represent a pantomime's mask Follow the Leader by the Soca boys. Excellent for when several characters need to pursue another character or objective. By the early 19th century the harlequinade chase scene was the longest and most important part of the pantomime, but Harlequin's importance was gradually superseded by Pulchinello the clown. The most famous pantomime clown was English actor, comedian and dancer Joseph Grimaldi. Panto's first star, he was also the first cross-dressing dame, when he appeared as Queen Rondabellyana in Harlequin and the Red Dwarf. He was responsible for developing the pantomime tradition of audience participation and sing-a-longs. Such was his eminence that 'a Joey' became a synonym for a clown. Grimaldi starred in an early production of Aladdin in 1813. To make it through this season in the midst of Omicron without cancelling a single show is perhaps a small miracle and we have several people to thank, without whom this would not have been possible. It really does take a village – or perhaps in this case – the entire population of Colchestaria…https://www.lamassana.ad/butlletins_web/AD400_desembre_2018/AF%20butlleti%20AD400%20baixa.pdf [ dead link] At seven that evening a car belonging to Gus Scannivino, one of several Brooklyn ILA vice presidents, appeared before Panto’s building. In the car with Scannivino were an Anastasia man named Tony Romeo, and Emil Camarda himself. Since Panto was not expecting a long meeting he left behind his wallet and empty suitcase and his work clothes were still laid out on his bed. Dressed in his best suit and dark fedora for his later date with Alice, he climbed inside the car with the other men, who had probably all driven over together from Camarda’s office. The sedan rolled away down his Brooklyn street into the summer evening and Peter Panto was gone. The Dame, played by a middle-aged male actor in quite heroic quantities of dresses, makeup and enormous fake boobs. Often the most popular and publicised member of the cast, a Dame will often be a fixture in a particular theatre for decades. Usually the mother or aunt of the Principal Boy character (see below); in Cinderella two dames are often used to play the Ugly Sisters. The Good Fairy is on hand to help the principal boy or girl on their adventure. Sometimes a little ditzy, the Good Fairy nonetheless waves her magic wand and tries to make wishes come true. She also acts as the moral guide through a pantomime, making sure the hero gets where they need to be to defeat the villain. A note about writing for the pantomime dame. Some dames will have particular styles of performance. Some will come with their own material. There’s usually some sort of ‘opening spot’ near the beginning, which might involve a musical number. The main thing to bear in mind is to make sure there’s always comedy around, and the dame should always have a heart. If you have that in mind, you can’t go far wrong. Pantomime Comic

One of the great pantomime characters. Originally made famous by Dan Leno‘s seminal performances at the turn of the last century is the crown a-top the pantomime family tree. Usually the mother of another character in the script, the pantomime dame helps the audience find their way into the story. Lovable, unafraid to speak their mind, and riddled with puns and innuendo, the pantomime dame can take many different forms. Some dames are flamboyant and fashionable, some are blokey, and brutish. What’s usually crucial is that they are the ‘everyman’. When played best, we see ourselves or a family member in the dame. It’s a friendly character we know we can trust. Remember, the entrance outfit gives you your first laugh, but from that point on you’ve gotta make the jokes land! Traditionally the hero of the story (although modern day shows often have the Principal Girl share this distinction) the Principal Boy is also usually played by a young woman – just to make things more complicated. Principal Girl Incidentally, both the ghost of Grimaldi and Leno are said to haunt the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane - so if you go there this Christmas - watch out for them both!This passage is from a pantomime adaptation of the Guy Fawkes story. The fairy creates the characters of the harlequinade in the most typical fashion of simply telling the characters what they will change into. The principal male and female characters from the beginning plotline, often both played by young women, [30] became the lovers Columbine and Harlequin, the mother or father of Columbine became Pantaloon, and the servant or other comic character became Clown. They would transition into the new characters as the scenery around them changed and would proceed in the "zany fun" section of the performance. [37] From the time of Grimaldi, Clown would see the transformed setting and cry: "Here We Are Again!" [36] The harlequinade began with various chase scenes, in which Harlequin and Columbine manage to escape from the clutches of Clown and Pantaloon, despite the acrobatic leaps of the former through windows, atop ladders, often because of well-meaning but misguided actions of the policeman. Eventually, there was a "dark scene", such as a cave or forest, in which the lovers were caught, and Harlequin's magic wand was seized from his grasp by Clown, who would flourish it in triumph. The good fairy would then reappear, and once the father agreed to the marriage of the young lovers, she would transport the whole company to a grand final scene. [35] 1837 to the end of the harlequinade [ edit ] Shake a Tail Feather from the Blues Brothers. Introduce with “…Let’s dance!” and it’s a brilliant celebratory song. Pantomimes are usually based on a relatively small pool of basic stories, mostly fairy tales and other Public Domain media. These include:

Wise words there from Miley Cyrus, and they could have been written for our hero as he sets off up the beanstalk. School’s Out by “one of our dear little girls, Alice Cooper.” Splendidly ludicrous at the end of a School Room scene. Every Day I Love You Less and Less by the Kaiser Chiefs. Makes a hilarious duet for a Baddie and the Principal Girl – although the lyrics need a little adjustment! Pantomime encourages its audience to be as loud as possible, and it’s normal to shout out at the stage throughout the show. Common examples of audience participation include: Bring Me Sunshine by Sylvia Dee and Arthur Kent. A gentle opening song, and with happy memories of the timeless comedy of Morecambe and Wise.

The year 1843 saw one of the most important developments in the evolution of Pantomime: the actors were allowed to use spoken words! Up to that point the performers were miming to the music and needed a special dispensation from the Lord Chamberlain to speak. '100 Seconds to Midnight' @ The Alma ★ ★ ★★ ★ ‘What Wonder’ @ The Winston Theatre ★ ★ ★ Now we all like a baddy for the Christmas panto and Jason Marc-Williams’ Abanazar really brings that love to hate character to life on the Venue Cymru stage for Alladin, the children (big and small) all booed him when he came on the stage and there were a few moments where he kept a straight face when most of us would have broken down in laughter. Heap, Brian. "Theatre: National Pantomime", Skywritings, No. 90, pp. 64–66, December 1993, accessed 24 December 2013.