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n There is nothing that says an English Christmas likena Pantomime – (‘Oh yes, there is – Oh no, there isn’t’). The pantomimenhas its origins in the theatre, back even beyond the Greeks and the Romans, butnthat’s a tale for another day; the name comes from the Greek – from παντός (pantosn– ‘all, every’) and μϊμος (mimos – ‘imitator, actor’).
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| Going to the Panto with Mama |
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nThe Englishnpantomime began in 1702, when ‘Tavern Bilkers’ was performed at DrurynLane, written by a dancing master, John Weaver, about whom we know very littlen– he was, it seems, a friend of Steele and Addison and was a ‘little dapper,ncheerful man’. It was somewhat as a failure, as Weaver did not attempt ansimilar performance until 1716, when he produced two burlesque pantomimes, ‘ThenLoves of Mars and Venus’ and ‘Perseus and Andromeda’, followed by ‘Orpheusnand Eurydice’ and ‘Harlequin Turn’d Judge’ in 1717, and ‘Cupidnand Bacchus’ in 1719.
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| Politically Incorrect Panto |
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nPantomime, however, was not truly established untilnthe involvement of John Rich, who staged ‘Harlequin Executed’ in 1717,nand which he advertised as
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n‘A new Italian Mimic Scene (never performednbefore), between a Scaramouch, a Harlequin, a Country Farmer, his Wife, andnothers’.n
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nThe debt to the Italian Commedia dell’Arte is freelynadmitted, a form of theatre in which stock characters performed a kind ofnimprovised comedy – these characters included a lecherous old lush, Pantalonen(or Pantaloon) and a pompous professor, Graziano, together withntheir servants, the zanni, (from which we take our word zany),nincluding Harlequin, a scamp, Columbine, a simple, country girl, and Pucinella,na slow-witted hunchback. Rich took elements of all this and combined serious,nmythological dramatic themes with comedic scenes, dancing, appropriate musicnand transformations or other special effects.
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| Traditional Harlequinade Characters |
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nRich called his Harlequinncharacter ‘Lun’, short for ‘lunatic’, and his performances were,napparently, tasteful, graceful and witty. In the hands of later performers, thencharacter degenerated into a cruder, grosser, clownish being, and Harlequinadengave way to Pantomime, with the tales drawn from Classical sources replaced bynFairy Stories, (Mother Goose, Puss in Boots, Aladdin and so forth). In thenearly nineteenth century, the characteristics of pantomime that we wouldnrecognise began to develop, with the role of the Principal Boy being taken by anyoung woman and the role of Dame taken by an older man.
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| Panto Poster |
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nThe stories andntheatrical effects made the pantomime a suitable festive diversion for youngnchildren and the inclusion of topical references and mild double entendresnamused their parents, and it became traditional for the pantomime season tonbegin on Boxing Day, December 26th, and to run until Twelfth Night,nJanuary 6th, but the popularity of the shows meant that they oftennran on into March.
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| Children’s Pantomime Poster |
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nModern English pantomimes now feature a recognisedn‘celebrity’ (quite often a pop or soap opera ‘star’, of questionable fame) in anprincipal role, a known ‘comedian’ (quite often of questionable comedic talent)nas the Dame, other ‘famous’ actors in lesser roles, and include popular songs, thenwords of which have been adapted to include references to topical events,nsexual innuendos which are supposed to go above the heads of the children (butnprobably don’t), and a variety of theatrical flashes, bangs and wonders.
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| Dan Leno as Widow Twankey – 1896 |
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nOthernconventions are the traditional animal – a pantomime cow or horse, forninstance, usually played for comic effect by two actors in a single costume,nthe audience participation (where they shout directions and advice to thencharacters – ‘He’s behind you’ – and boo the villains or cheer thenheroes as they appear onstage), and the pantomime Fairy, who often resolves thenaction of the play at the end with a wave of her magic wand. They vary innquality – some are sophisticated, witty, entertaining performances, which cannoften be found in the theatres of the larger cities whereas others, seen innsome provincial venues, are cruder and ruder, rougher or downright vulgar,n(which is not necessarily a negative evaluation; the English have a long,nstrong (ooh, er, missus) tradition of smut).
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| Pantomime |
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nMany theatres depend on thenbox-office boost provided during the pantomime season for financial security inna time of falling audiences and quite often the Christmas pantomime is the onlynexperience of live theatre that many English people will encounter during thenyear. Pantomimes are a living link to the older customs of the reversal ofnroles during the festive period, as girls perform the role of the principal boynand older men are made-up as grotesque, cross-dressed Dames; we have seen thesenreversals in the Lords of Misrule, the Boy Bishops, the Mummers, Zagmuk and sonon.
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