History of British Pantos

The vision of our production of Spamalot is that when a British amateur theater company produces a theatrical piece about Arthurian legends but ends up turning into a British panto because it all goes awry when the fish slappers show up. But what is a British Pantos? British pantos or pantomime is typically a theatrical production designed for children and families that often involve comedic aspects such as witty dialogue, and slapstick and are typically derived from a fairy tale (Blackpool Grand Theatre, 2022).

Typically, pantos productions are produced during the holidays when families have time off of work and school. While Arthurian legends are often not told as fairy tales, I think that if you were to tell your child about Cath Pulag, they may be scared out of their wits. However, it is a classic example of a folk tale that has been passed down through generations.

Origins of Pantomime

Now the term pantomime which comes from the Greek word ‘Pantomimos’ meaning an ‘imitator of all’ (Blackpool Grand Theatre, 2022). The origins of the pantos actually come from our friends down south in Italy through the Commedia Dell’arte, translating to “comedy of professional artists” that emerged in the 15th century. Popular troupes of Commedia Dell’arte included stock characters, improvised dialogue, and bright costumes, (Meagher, 2007). The plots are often resolved in a happy ending where the bad character gets their comeuppance and the good prevails. They would also often include a form of an underdog character, where the servants would overthrow their masters (Moody). Some common stock characters included the young lovers, the old man, and the servants (Blackpool Grand Theatre, 2022). While sometimes involving bawdy or political messaging, they were typically family-friendly and often revolved around common Roman myths and folktales.

One of the most influential stock characters that comes out of Commedia Dell’arte is the Harlequin. This was a servant (Zanni) character that had patched clothing that often symbolized their poverty because they had to keep mending their clothes instead of purchasing new material (Meagher, 2007). They often wore a mask that included warty and/or had animalistic features to them (Meagher, 2007). These characters are also notable for their juxtaposition of being an impressive, agile acrobat and a lazy glutton (Meagher, 2007).

Image: 'Harlequin' Franz Anton Bustelli, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Something that is also notable in the origins of the harlequin was that he would often carry about a radicchio or slapstick. Slapstick is a paddle made out of two pieces of wood that are completely harmless and when it would make a whacking-type sound (Britannica). This is where we see the origins of slapstick comedy where the physical aspects of wacking your poor fellow cast member were comedic.

Off to Bring-Bomber Land

Now that we have gone over the origins of Commedia Dell’arte in Italy, let's see what happens when the British get their mashed-pea-stained hands on this theatrical phenomenon. During the 18th century, an actor/manager John Rich developed the Harlequin into British society. He took the basic plot of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and incorporated it into a harlequinade. Now what on earth is a harlequinade? It is a comedic chase scene involving a harlequin character where they chase one another with bats and knock-down scenery (Victoria & Albert Museum). He also incorporated ‘animal roles’ such as dragons, dogs, camels, etc and fused elements of ballet, music, and mythological/folk tales (Moody). One notable discernment about Rich’s harlequin was that he never spoke.

Image: 'John Rich asHarlequin' Artist Unknown

One of John Rich’s pupils, Henry Woodward, created harlequin plays for the Drury Lane Theatre in the 1880s (Victoria & Albert Museum). He often incorporated classic English fairy tales such as Dick Whittington, Robin Hood, and the Children of the Wood. This is where we truly begin to see pantos fuse with elements of classic children’s tales. The majority of Drury Lane pantomimes were produced in the holiday season so they wouldn’t interfere with the regular theater season (Moody).

In the Victorian era, a pivotal piece of legislation was passed that played a huge role in pantomime creation. In 1843, the Theatres Act allowed any theater to produce plays with spoken dialogue without the need for a royal patent (Victoria & Albert Museum). This allowed any theater to produce spoken plays and allowed a combination of puns, wordplay, audience participation, chase scenes, etc., and it wasn’t just limited to a few theaters. During this time, we also begin to see elements of social satire and political messaging in British pantos (Victoria & Albert Museum).

Cover of pantomime text for Jack & the Beanstalk at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, 1899 – 1900, England. Victoria and Albert Museum, London

British Pantos Today

In the modern era, pantos shows are still a prominent part of the holiday season for numerous British families. Many performances involve gender-bending characters. Modern pantos performances involve the following aspects:

• Common theatrical Elements
• Witty dialogue
• Slapstick Comedy
• Vibrant Costumes
• Audience participation
• Plot based on a fairy tale/folk story
• Social satire
• Troupes in British Pantos
• Gender reversal (principle boy/girl)
• Clown & Villain
• Good/bad fairy

Overall, the conception of Spamalot is supposed to be a pantos-performing troupe retelling various Arthurian legends that go awry. I hope that you enjoyed learning about the history of British pantos.

Works Cited:

The Grand Theatre, Blackpool “A Complete Guide to Pantomime” June 2022 https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/complete-guide-to-pantomime 

Britannica “Slapstick Definition” https://www.britannica.com/art/slapstick-comedy 

Meagher, Jennifer “Commedia Dell’arte: Heilbrunn Timeline Of Art History” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2007 https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/comm/hd_comm.htm 

Moody, Jane “It’s Behind You! A Look into the History of British Pantos” University of York https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/features/pantomime/ 

Victoria and Albert Museum “The Story of Pantomime” https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-pantomime