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Pantomime

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Pantomime, or Panto, is a Christmas tradition - in Britain only! Many othercountries don’t know/understand Panto. Panto was originally derived from theCommedia del Arte, which is where many of the stock characters of Pantohave evolved from.

Commedia del Artewas a burlesque theatrical style that became extremely popular in Italy in thesixteenth century. Performances took place in the streets or on squares during fairsand festivals. The use of masks was one of its most distinguishing features.

To keep the audience’s attention from wandering, the performances wereinterspersed with comic scenes: the lazzi. These lazzi often had no connection withthe contents of the play at all. It has been said that as they became increasinglypopular, the lazzi drew larger audiences than the plays themselves.

Pantomime developed from this type of travelling street theatre called Commediadell'arte which came from Italy in the 16th century. Commedia is a very physicaltype of theatre that uses dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and buffoonery. Commedia dell'arte troupes had a repertoire of stories that they performed infairgrounds and market places. Often the touring troupes were made up of familymembers who would inherit their characters, costumes, masks and stories fromtheir parents or grandparents. Commedia spread across Europe from Italy toFrance and by the middle of the 17th century began to be popular in England.

Commedia Characters

Like pantomime, Commedia dell'arte had set types of character called stockcharacters. Each character had set movements and gestures that represented hisor her personality. The characters included the old man (Pantalone); naughtyservants including Arlecchino, the lover, his lady and her servant girl (Columbine)who was in love with Arlecchino. There was also a clown or Pierrot character.

The actors wore costumes that depicted theircharacter. Originally they also wore leather half masksover their faces. Commedia actors did not have ascript but would improvise within the outline of a story.Commedia stories were often satirical and would pokefun at contemporary issues or ideas.

From the 1660s Commedia dell'arte characters began to appear in English plays.Such was the success of Commedia in England that an intense rivalry soon sprangup between the theatres producing it. Within two days of a new performanceopening at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre in 1716, a show with an almost identicaltitle opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.It was John Rich, an actor manager who performed under the name of John Lun,who gave pantomime its name. His pantomimes were composed of music, danceand song, interspersed with dialogue. The pantomimes were in three parts:

A short introduction on a serious theme, sometimes based on a classical myth.

A popular tale, a legend or a folk story which later developed into thepantomime stories we recognise today.

After the second part of the pantomime the actors would transform themselves intothe Commedia characters for the Harlequinade. These transformation scenesbecame more and more elaborate, using stage technology to thrill the audience. Intime the transformation scenes became hugely popular and established audienceexpectation for spectacle in pantomime.

John Rich's first pantomime at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre was called HarlequinSorcerer and was in two acts, one serious and one comic. It was billed alongsideother kinds of entertainment, and pantomimes continued to be part of mixed billsuntil the middle of the 19th century. Pantomimes made John Rich the most successful theatre manager in England. Heearned so much money that he built a brand new theatre, the Theatre Royal,Covent Garden which opened in December 1732. It became famous for itspantomimes, with elaborate tricks and technical effects.

For over 150 years the character of Harlequin was the star of the pantomime andpantomime was dominated by the Harlequinade, a comic chase scene telling thestory of Harlequin and Columbine. The Harlequinade was in mime with music andlots of slapstick and tomfoolery. Every pantomime had a Harlequinade as part ofthe bill.

The story of the Harlequinade had the same basic format; a chase scene wherethe two lovers, Harlequin and Columbine, are kept apart by the girl's father,Pantaloon, whose servants play tricks on him. In the chase the two lovers arepursued by her father and his servant, Clown. At this time actors had a repertoire

of stock characters with whom they were associated. JohnRich's character was Harlequin and he developed thecharacter into a mischievous magician. Rich also developedthe drama of the chase scenes.

John Rich's Harlequin used a Slapstick or wooden bat which he would hit againstthe scenery to make the scenes change by knocking down a series of hinged flaps.The chase scene would take the characters to many different locations allcontrolled by Harlequin's magic bat. The locations of the chase were often placesthat people would recognise - named streets or areas of London for example. Theyalso included mythical locations.

The pantomime traditions of slapstick (meaning a certain type of clownish physicalcomedy), chases, speed and transformations were developed from Rich'sHarlequinades.

Transformation scenes started as a way of moving between the different sectionsof the pantomime. Rather than just stopping one section and starting another,actors found creative and imaginative ways to transform the story into the Harlequinade. During the transformation scenes the actors would take off the gianthead masks that they had worn for the story and remove their costumes to revealthemselves as the Commedia dell'arte characters.

As pantomime developed and stage technology became more advanced thetransformations became events in themselves. It was designer William Beverleywho first used the transformation scenes to alter stage sets. Scenery was flown infrom above on wires or changed by a series of hinged flaps. Trick objects turnedaround to become another object. Beverley introduced a 'fan effect' where thescenery collapsed sideways and inwards, like a folding fan, to reveal a view frombehind. Soon audiences expected to be impressed by the stage technology of apantomime. The names of scene painters and other technicians began to appearon playbills. A good transformation scene was as big an attraction to an audienceas a famous actor. By the 1890s pantomimes were lavish affairs and audiencesexpected fabulous sets and fantastical transformation scenes.

The character of Harlequin originated in the Commedia dell’’arte plays of theRenaissance. ‘‘Arlecchino’’, as he was then called, was a wily and unscrupulousservant whose clothes were covered in patches. His face was covered with a blackhalf-mask which also had a bushy moustache and whiskery beard. Through thecenturies, Harlequin’’s costume became increasingly stylised, and the tatty patchesbecame a regular diamond pattern. The Commedia dell’’arte plays involved a great deal of physical humour andacrobatics and this aspect of the characters was carried through to the Britishcounterparts of the 18th and 19th Centuries. An actor playing Harlequin had to bean acrobat as well as an actor. Some of the famous Harlequins of the past such asTom Ellar did themselves permanent physical damage from playing the part.Another attribute of Harlequin is his ability to do magic. The French version of thecharacter could turn himself into different people. The English Harlequin of earlypantomime could transform the things around him by striking him with his magicbat or ‘‘slapstick’’.

Shakespeare's ClownsThe English clown was descended from the Vice character of themedieval mystery plays, a buffoon and prankster who could sometimes deceive

even the Devil. Among the first professional stage clowns were thefamous William Kempe and Robert Armin, both whom wereconnected with Shakespeare's company. William Kemp was suchan important star that he was a part owner in both the company andthe Globe Theatre. He specialised in playing stupid country bumpkintype characters, a style that would later become known as theAuguste. Robert Armin specialised in playing court jester style fools.He wrote a book on famous court jesters, one of the first histories ofclowning to be published. The style of Shakespeare's playschanged when Armin replaced Kemp so it is known that he tailoredthem to the style and abilities of his clowns. Scholars believe thatpart of the existing scripts were actually ad libs by the clowns thatwere written down after they proved popular. According to tradition,Hamlet's order that clowns speak only what had been written down

for them was in reality Shakespeare's criticism of Kemp's ad libbing.

The White FaceThe traditional whiteface makeup of the clown is thought tohave been introduced by the character of Pierrot, theFrench clown with a bald head and flour-whitened face. Hefirst appeared during the latter part of the 17th century.Created as a fool for Harlequin, Pierrot was graduallysoftened and sentimentalized. The pantomimist Jean-Baptiste-Gaspard Deburau took on the character in theearly 19th century and created a famous love-sick, patheticclown, whose melancholy has since remained part of theclown tradition.

The First Circus ClownThe earliest of the true circus clowns was Joseph Grimaldi, who first appeared inEngland in 1805. Grimaldi's clown, called Joey, specialised in the classic physicaltricks, tumbling, pratfalls, and slapstick beatings. In the 1860s a low-comedy comicappeared under the name of Auguste, who had a big nose, baggy clothes, largeshoes, and untidy manners. He worked with a whiteface clown and always spoiledthe latter's trick by appearing at the wrong time to mess things up.

The Auguste ClownThere is a widely told story about the origins of the Auguste clown –– where anAmerican acrobat named Tom Belling was performing with a circus in Germany in1869. Confined to his dressing room as discipline for missing his tricks, heentertained his friends by putting on misfitting clothes to perform his impression ofthe show's manager. The manager suddenly entered the room and Belling took offrunning, ending up in the circus arena where he fell over the ringcurb. Theaudience laughed and yelled ‘‘auguste!’’ which is German for fool. The managercommanded that Belling continue appearing as the Auguste.

Many historians doubt that the legend is true, as the word Auguste did not exist inthe German language until after the character became popular. Another theory ofthe origin is that Belling copied the character from the Rizhii (Red Haired) clownshe saw when he toured Russia with a circus. Early auguste clowns had anaturalistic appearance as if they had just wandered off the street into the circusring. The exaggerated make up associated with the auguste clown today wasintroduced by Albert Fratellini, of the Fratellini Brothers.

The Tramp CharacterOne of the most well known figures is the tramp made famous by Charlie Chaplin.The tramp clown was created by James McIntyre and Tom Heath in 1874,portraying African Americans made homeless by the Civil War. They based theircharacters on blackface minstrel clowns which is the origin of the white mouth usedby tramp clowns. Their idea may also have been inspired by the travelling hoeboys (hobos) or itinerant farm workers, who rode the rails from one town toanother, wiping the soot away from their eyes & mouth.

The Tarot FoolIn the Tarot, the Fool is that part of ourselves that is wise enough to standawestruck before the mystery of creation, and bold enough to set off exploring. TheFool is the only card in the major arcana that is unnumbered, and he has no setposition in the order of the cards. He symbolises the part of us that looks out uponthe thoughts, feelings and dreams playing across the shadow theatre of the mind.Carrying the minimum of possessions and the pilgrim’’s staff, egged on by astrange animal (sometimes a cat or dog) symbolizing the inner motivation thatsnaps at our heels once we start to question the nature of reality, the Fool stepstoward the unknown –– the inner self.

Modern ClownsClown figures became popular worldwide with Hollywood films and especially silentmovies in the early 20th century, including Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laureland Hardy, and the Keystone Cops amongst others. More recently on television,the clowning tradition is continued by Basil Fawlty, Mr Bean and Blackadder and inthe theatre by artistes such as the French mime Marcel Marceau, and the Russianclown Slava Polunin.

Multicultural ClownsMost cultures have had their own clown character. Clowns have gone by manynames around the world throughout history including:

Auguste, Badin –– medieval FranceBobo –– Spain c 1500sBuffoon, Cabotin –– Italy c 1500sCascaduer –– FranceCharlie –– European Tramp ClownChou –– ChinaClaune –– France 1800sContrary –– Native America Plains TribesExcentrique –– Solo French ClownFool, Gleeman –– medieval EnglandGracioso –– Spain late 1500sGrotesque –– France, acrobatic clown 1820-1850Hano –– Native AmericanHanswurst –– Germany & Austria c 1700Harlequin –– Commedia del Arte & English PantomimeJack Pudding –– England 1600sJester, Joey, Jongleur –– ninth century EuropeKoyemsi –– Native American Hope TribeMerry Andrew –– England 1600 & 1700sMinnesinger –– Germany 1100-1400Minstrel –– medieval Europe & America 1800s & 1900sNarr –– Germany c 1600Newekwe –– Native America Zuni TribePagliacci –– ItalyPantalone –– Commedia del Arte & English PantomimePedrolino –– Commedia Del ArtePickle Herring –– Holland & Germany 1600 & 1700sPierrot –– FranceTramp –– AmericaTrickster –– mythology of many culturesTroubadour –– medieval FranceVidusaka and Vita –– IndiaWhiteface and Zany –– Italy

There are a number of stock characters which are common to almost everypantomime. They are great fun to play around with during a drama exercise,attempting to become them physically.

Principal Boy/HeroExamples of these would be Aladdin, Robin Hood, or the Princes in Snow White and SleepingBeauty. They can be played by a man or a woman. Their physical stance is usually fists on hips,legs apart with the head held up high. Their voice is usually quite deep with an RP accent.

Principal Girl.Examples of these would be Snow White, Belle fromBeauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Maid Marion, or Jillfrom Jack and the Beanstalk. They are usually the sensible character who is often atthreat from the ‘baddie’ (for example the Queen wantingto kill Snow White). The Principal Girl usually falls in lovewith the Principal Boy, and if so she will get togetherwith the right man at the end.

Many Principal Girls are quite mundane for an actor toplay compared to other characters in the play. ManyPrincipal Girls are drippy, naive and lack a depth ofcharacter.

Physically, they are usually very graceful, mainly due totheir status as a Princess. They are light and courtly withan air of elegance.

The DameExamples of these would be Widow Twanky, Cooks, Nurses, Ugly Sisters. Almost always played by a man and usually the most comedic element of the Pantomime. Manyof the jokes are intended for the adults in the audience.

They usually stand with their legs together, bottoms sticking out, and hands held underneath theirboobs. When walking, they tend to have a slight mince (but nothing too camp), and occasionallykick a leg up behind.

Vocally, they sound like a man putting on what they think is a woman’s voice; trying to be highpitched and effeminate.

The Double ActThey don’t always have specific names, but will usually be company or product names (forexample Black and Decker), or a saying (Rough and Tumble / Bubble and Squeak) or famousfigures (Bill and Ben).

They are usually both a bit dim, and their physicality matches this. They would scratch theirheads a lot, and their cowardice would be characterised with knees knocking together, or withone jumping into the other’s arms. One is usually brighter than the other and will come up withthe ideas.Quite often the double act are given the dirty work to do by a baddie.

The BaddieExamples of these would be Abenazar, Fleshcreep, The Giant, The Sheriff or the Evil Queen.The Baddies love to be booed! They hatch the plan that will make them rich and powerful, andwill land them in the arms of the Principal Boy/Girl. They often tell the audience their plans, whichleads to their downfall, and they always get their comeuppance in the end!

The physicality of the Baddie varies from show to show, but usually they hold themselves quitewell and always have a higher status than their minions (and think they have a higher status thanall other characters). There is the characteristic evil laugh with every Baddie.

The Comedy FigureExamples of these would be Wishee Washee, Simple Simon, Buttons and Muddles. They oftenare the audience’s friend, who tells jokes, gives out the sweets, but are always a low statuscharacter - laundry boy, a butler, a servant. Usually, he will fall in love with the Principal Girl,although her will not end up marrying her. He will usually find someone else, or be given a higherstatus job so that he, too, has a happy ending.

He will have an agile physicality, and will include slapstick and circus skills into the act. Theirvocality will usually reflect the regional accent where the performance is.

The Good FairyExamples of these would be The Fairy Godmother (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella) or the goodSorceress.

Good Fairies are usually played by women, however there are a few exceptions to this rule! Sheis usually instrumental to making the end a happy one. They are usually attached to onecharacter to make their dreams come true (for example, Cinderella’s Godmother provides thecarriage and gown so she can go to the ball to meet the Prince). She can also foil the Bddie’splan.

Quite often the Fairy guides the characters through a moral journey to become a better person.

Their physicality is usually very light, sometimes balletic, and they almost always enter with aspin.

Good Fairies will often have an RPaccent, and will usually speak in rhyme.

Word Search 1

O L X P A N O T G R M T BOBO

S B Z J E S T E R A A G FAIRY

Y H O K J L W M A M G D WAND

D F H B T P M A L E I C MAGIC

A Q E U E R S D X Z C B PRINCE

L L I C P O R E H T H O JESTER

T L E D N G S W V M T L PANTO

O A P F K I C Y U N D G LAZZI

R Z A P E J R I A L N G CLOWN

R Z A W P I T P W U W J PIERROT

E I J K A L O Y U R O E LAMP

I T Y F A N R M Y A L R HERO

P W E H Y R D I O L C F DAME

Word Search 2

W I D O W T W A N K Y E S C T Y H U J O C P L P R T Harlequin

A D W E R W S D R U P R I N C I P A L G I R L H U K Commedia

A D W B T G Q H K L P O H B D F L S E W N B V X C V Pantomime

L P I Y E R D F G J L E C V B A S X D R D W E G G P Slapstick

A W S R T E S D B Q U O R P D V C X A S E D F E R R Columbine

D R H T J K L E P N B X Z D V B F D A S R E W N Q I Pantalone

A S E Q W H A R L E Q U I N R Q U J I N E A D I E N Auguste

Q W E S T U Y A R L Q N Y A F F G I S D L E A E S C Principal Boy

K L W E T E G H J E S D Z X C A D L L L L T Y A S I Principal Girl

H F A Y T R E R V B N A L J S S R L J U A I L G B P Fairy Godmother

D A S Q W E R F G H N B K J P L B N C X D S A D H A Buttons

R G H D E S T H U E G K L P I N B V C X A S A F B L Widow Twanky

E D E E T G L H B J K L P M N N E T S U G U A B C B Abenazar

H C E E S T G A F G J K U T N E R W S D F G I B Y O Cinderella

T C D E I R G H P T R E B F I H J K L P O Y D T N Y Aladdin

O N M G M D F R T S E U S D N W E T R B N J E U Y T Wishee Washee

M D F G P T H L M N T G H F G T S S E R T F M G H B Jack

D C D S L A S E W T T I Y H W J K A L M N B M Y T L Jill

O F R E E M H J O O P L C U H Y J E K L O P O Y G H Beauty

G D E T S D E N S G H J K K E N I B M U L O C O L U Spinning Wheel

Y R D T I Y S U N I O P L K E H G F D S E R W A Q U Evil Queen

R Q U E M E N J O I K L P H L T Y F D S G H Y U I O Simple Simon

I O P L O I N C P J A C K D U Y O P T R E Y U O P L Enchantment

A D F H N K L O P M G H T U P L E M I M O T N A P M Genie

F M J K O P L K G H T R D F S A X C B N Y U T R I O Beast

J K L P P A N T A L O N E Y O E N C H A N T M E N T Puss in Boots

O M BOBO

B J E S T E R A FAIRY

O M G WAND

B P M A L I MAGIC

E D C PRINCE

C O R E H O JESTER

T L N T PANTO

O A I Y N LAZZI

R Z R A N CLOWN

R Z W I P W PIERROT

E I A O LAMP

I F N L HERO

P D C DAME

W I D O W T W A N K Y C Harlequin

P R I N C I P A L G I R L Commedia

W L N Pantomime

I A D G P Slapstick

S B D E E R Columbine

H E D R N I Pantlone

E H A R L E Q U I N R J E I N Auguste

E U N A I L E C Principal Boy

W T Z L L I Principal Girl

A Y A S L A P Fairy Godmother

S N P A Buttons

R H S E I L Widow Twanky

E E L B N E T S U G U A B Abenazar

H E S A N I O Cinderella

T I P B I D Y Aladdin

O M S U N T E Wishee Washee

M P T G S M Jack

D L T I W A M Jill

O E O C H E O Beauty

G S N K E N I B M U L O C Spinning Wheel

Y I S E Evil Queen

R M L Simple Simon

I O J A C K Enchantment

A N E M I M O T N A P Genie

F Beast