Pantomime

By Penelope “Penny” Patience

A 2024 performance of pantomimed Cinderella in Durham, England

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, we all know what a pantomime is, don’t we? Ah, our friends from the other side of the Pond are looking unsure. Well, for those who don’t know, a pantomime is a comedic musical theatrical performance with audience participation, usually loosely based on a fairy story or folk tale, which is traditionally performed in Britain during the Christmas season.

There are a series of conventions, which are an essential part of pantomime. The first and most important one is crossdressing. The male lead will be played by a young or shapely actress in a “breeches role” and there will be one or more female parts played by mature men as “dames.” For example, in Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack will be played by an actress and his mother by an older man. Similarly, in Cinderella, an actress will play Prince Charming, while two large men will play the Ugly Sisters.

With crossdressing being an essential aspect of the genre, you won’t be surprised to know that there are always lots of opportunities for double entendres. So, while small children are lapping up the fairy story, their parents and grandparents will be laughing at mild innuendos, which go over the heads of the tots.

A second convention is audience participation. This comes in various forms. The audience may be encouraged to join in singing a song with cast members. Or one of the villains may ask a rhetorical question of the audience and get into an argument with them. 

For example, an Ugly Sister might announce, “I will be the belle of the ball.”

The audience will respond, “Oh, no you won’t.”

The Ugly Sister will reply, “Oh, yes I will.”

“Oh, no you won’t.”

“Will!”

“Won’t!”

Another staple is “He’s behind you / She’s behind you.” Cinderella might be addressing the audience, when her Evil Stepmother appears behind her. The audience will shout: “She’s behind you” or “Look behind you.” Cinders looks over her right shoulder, while her stepmother is standing behind her on the left. The stepmother then moves to Cinders right shoulder and Cinders looks to her left and announces, “There’s nobody there.” The audience insists, “She’s behind you.” Only then does she look again, realize the threat and rush from the stage.

These conventions are so well known in Britain that, for example, MPs have used the “He’s behind you” gag a number of times in the House of Commons.

Pantomime animals are another staple of the genre, especially a horse or cow with one actor playing the front of the animal and another the rear end. The slapstick potential of an animal played by two actors is obvious.

In the pantomime Dick Whittington, poor Dick sets out for London to make his fortune accompanied by his cat, who, of course, is played by another actress. It is quite likely that Dick’s costume will include thigh-length boots and hot pants. And you can be sure that the scriptwriters will make full use of the potential for double entendres inherent in the name Dick.

Surprisingly, there is a core of truth in the story for in the Middle Ages there really was a Dick Whittington who was a cat lover and rose to become the Lord Mayor of London.

Another convention is that villainous characters will enter and leave the stage from stage left, while good characters will do so from stage right. Believe it or not, this goes all the way back to medieval passion plays when Hell was conceived as being off-stage left, and Heaven off stage right.

If you’ve never been to a pantomime, you really should go this year. “Oh, no I shouldn’t.” “Oh, yes you should.”

Wearing Ann Taylor

Paul O'Grady AKA Lily Savage pantomiming the Evil Queen in Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs on the British stage.