Let me tell you about the beginning of Pantomime.
Pantomime today is a form of comic British theatre but it evolved from many different sources.
In Roman times they had mime shows created by a single dancer who was known as Pantomimus which according to the records was performed in 467 BC by a dancer called Telestes. Would you believe it, Roman Emperor Nero was so jealous of this pantomime performer that he had him put to death for being so talented!
How did it go from this to our Pantomimes of today?
Well, it all started back in Italy in the 16th Century. They had something called Commedia dell’Arte , which means ‘comedy of the artists’.
It was a form of entertainment that used dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and featured a cast of mischievous stock characters. Usually these characters were exaggerated, reflecting social types with foolish old men, devious servants, or military officers all full of false bravado.
They were all overstated.
It grew to be a form of street theatre as many of the groups performed outside on platforms or piazzas. Even though it started in Italy it quickly spread across Europe
Now, at its centre was the Harlequin who was the quick-witted troublemaker, he carried a magic bat, wore a mask and dressed in clothes made up of patches. By the 17th century, Harlequin was with his companions, including Scaramouche, Pantaloon, Pierrot, Punch and of course, you always need a love-interest, in this case it was Columbine.
This team of reprobates cavorted their way across Europe.
By the early 18th century, they reached London and began to appear on the London stage in early pantomimes, which were based on classical stories, set to music but without speech. This then slowly evolved in England into Harlequinades, a fun form of entertainment with dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and, most importantly, with the same series of playful characters.
These led to the first pantomimes. They started in their different forms from the late 1600s as ‘after-pieces’ put on after a serious show. Naturally, as the prices were lower than the main performance, they became popular with the working classes, who could see them after work.
They were not like today’s Pantomimes they were basically slapstick comedies with lots of misunderstanding or confusion that eventually led to a large staged, comic brawl. But it was like our Pantomimes of today with men dressed as women, and women as men.
Isn’t it amazing that this happened in England in the early 18th Century?
I think it shows our English sense of humour along with our belief that good should always conquer evil and hope triumph adversity.
Now all this really started when in 1720 John Rich started a new kind of show.
His show created energetic chases, and was always about the adventures of Harlequin, Columbine, and the comedic characters. Then he added something else. Transformations that happened at the touch of his magic wand, creating mechanical serpents and flying vehicles. This is when Pantomime took off
Now you may ask “Why are Pantomimes at Christmas?”
This is typically English, these pantomimes were bitterly controversial. The intelligentsia saw them as a threat that would lead to the death of Shakespeare and the serious theatre. Then, as always happens, David Garrick, an 18th century actor-manager, realized money could be made from Pantomime.
He is quoted as saying, “If they won’t come to Lear and Hamlet, I must give them Harlequin”. But as he didn’t want blow everything, he decided to make Pantomime something we only saw at Christmas.
Now as he owned the Drury Lane theatre he could decide when to put it on. He decided to only put on pantomimes in the Christmas season. It worked.
He put on the more serious plays in the rest of the year but made his money at Christmas. Of course this led other theatres to follow.
Pantomimes became associated with Christmas.
You could see serious theatre in the rest of the year, but Christmas was for fun.
And would you believe it, that continues today. Many a small local theatre only exists because of the cash flow it generates at Christmas.
So that is the history of how we ended up with Pantos at Christmas.
To give your children a chance to enjoy their own pantomimes click on Potty Pantos where you can see all the Potty Pantos.