Pantomime - grand British tradition
Pantomime has its roots in 'Commedia dell'Arte', a 16th-century Italian entertainment which used dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and featured a cast of mischievous stock characters.
Harlequin was the quick-witted miscreant who carried a magic bat, wore a mask and dressed in clothes made of patches.
By the early 18th century, Commedia characters began to appear on the London stage in early pantomimes which were based on classical stories, set to music but without speech.
Harlequin was the star of 18th century pantomime, which proved popular with paying audiences.
In 1732 John Rich, the most notable early Harlequin who danced but never spoke, built Covent Garden Theatre with the profits of his magical pantomimes.
At Drury Lane Theatre meanwhile the actor-manager David Garrick astonished audiences with a speaking Harlequin and employed Rich's pupil Henry Woodward to pen new stories for him, some incorporating old English folk stories likeDick Whittington,Robin Hood, andthe Children of the Wood.
As pantomime evolved, more domestic stories and topical satire began to replace classical tales. After Joseph Grimaldi's Clown was such a hit in Mother Goose at Covent Garden in 1806, Harlequin began to fade as the star of the show.
In the Victorian era witty puns, word play and audience participation were added to the mix. Favourite fairy-tale characters, magical animals, principal boys and pantomime dames all became part of the typical pantomime.
It became customary for pantomimes to open on Boxing Day, forever linking this entertainment with Christmas and family.
In the modern era, competition from film and television has seen the death of the musical hall entertainments from which many of the components of pantomime sprang. However, panto itself remains an enduring tradition - those these days the run is usually pre-Christmas rather than from Boxing Day.
Further reading
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