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[[Slapstick]] comedic play aimed at children and shown at Christmas time. A British tradition that (as with most British traditions) baffles Americans; America used to have a somewhat similar tradition in [[Vaudeville]], minus the association with Christmastime, but it died out around the turn of the twentieth century. Referenced throughout British culture, of course. They are equally popular in Ireland.
Pantomimes are based on a relatively small pool of basic stories, mostly [[Fairy Tale|fairy tales]] and mostly [[Public Domain]]. These include
* "The Babes in the Wood"
* "[[Cinderella (
* "[[Jack and
* "[[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (
* "[[
* "[[Aladdin (
* ''[[Peter Pan]]''
* "[[Dick Whittington
* [[Robin Hood]]
* [[Mother Goose]] rhymes
* "[[
* ''[[
Pantos are traditionally [[Theatrical Productions]], but [http://www.its-behind-you.com/tvpanto.html quite a few] have been recorded for [[Live Action Television]], such as [[The ITV Panto]].
Not to be confused with miming things (as in [[Enemy Mime]] or [[Mime-and-Music-Only Cartoon]]), which is what "pantomime" means in America.
{{tropelist}}
* Much '''[[Crosscast Role|crossdressing]]''', specifically,
** ''The Dame'', played by a middle-aged male actor in quite ''heroic'' quantities of dresses, makeup and enormous fake boobs. Often the most popular and publicised member of the cast. Usually the mother/aunt of the Principal Boy (see below); two dames are used to play Cinderella's ugly sisters.
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** Anyone familiar with the career of [[Brian Blessed]] knows that he's absolutely perfect for such roles.
* '''[[Audience Participation]]'''. In particular, a villain will be stalking a hero around the stage, requiring the audience to holler "HE'S BEHIND YOU!" at the tops of their voices. Usually, the villain will duck behind cover as the hero exaggeratedly looks around, then looks back at the audience and says "Oh, no he isn't." The audience dutifully hollers ''"Oh, yes he is!"'' in response. This can [[Overly Long Gag|go on for some time]].
** In particular one character will have [[No Fourth Wall]], the rest of the cast will only [[Leaning
** This also seems to happen whenever a panto actor appears ''anywhere'' in front of an audience: British audiences are prone to collectively getting into spontaneous "No he isn't"/"Yes he is" routines with well-known panto actors even during talk shows, quiz shows, panel shows, and other shows ''utterly'' unrelated to panto. (See Christopher Biggins' two-minute appearance on ''The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year''.)
** Any good panto will leave a pause for the regular jokes. "I didn't come here to be insulted!" (pause) Audience member(s): "Where do you usually go?" If the audience doesn't say the necessary line another cast member will.
** People are expected to loudly boo and hiss whenever the villains are onstage.
* '''Sing Along'''. Usually at the end,<ref>
* '''The [[Pantomime Animal]]''', usually a four-legged creature such as a horse or a cow played by two actors in an animal costume.
* '''The Harlequinade''': A slapstick intermezzo featuring characters from the [[Commedia Dell'Arte
* '''[[Shout-Out|Shout Outs]]''' Usually prior to the sing-along. Basically, someone in the cast takes the opportunity to read out the names of the groups in the audience. There's always a Scout troupe or Boys'/Girls' Brigade.
** Or they'll use material from other notable comedy acts, preferrably older for the adults to recognise and the kids to enjoy. Such as [[Morecambe and Wise]]'s version of [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HgFLJLY-2o "I'm Wishing"] for any Snow White shows.
** Also, expect a '''''lot''''' of [[Actor Allusion
* '''Sweeties''': treats are often thrown into the audience from the stage at some point (again, often at the end). In my home town, these are traditionally Wagon Wheel biscuits. Never having caught one at a panto can be a source of minor childhood trauma.
** Sadly, this tradition is being phased out in many places because of [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]. Some shows will have a variation e.g. in ''Aladdin'' where Widow Twankey might throw comically oversized laundry into the audience instead.
* '''Big production''' - even the smallest amateur company will pull out all the stops for their pantomime. [[Captain Obvious|This is not a genre concerned with either realism or artistic minimalism]]. Sets are large and elaborate, the dame will usually have the most magnificent over-the-top dress (and change it every couple of scenes) and there is often a scene involving gunge, foam or other "messy" fun. ''Aladdin'' often features a scene in the Chinese laundry run by Widow Twanky, providing an excuse for filling the stage with suds. Or characters will randomly decide to do some baking, resulting in flour being thrown.
* '''[[Hey, It's That Guy!|Guest stars]]''' - a <s>more recent</s> [[Older Than You Think|trope dating back to]] [[Victorian Britain|the late 19th Century in the UK]], whereby if more than one major panto is running in a town, they will often compete for custom by playing one-upmanship with the [[Hey, It's That Guy!|quality of the cast]]. Once the realm of respected actors (and [[The Sooty Show|Sooty]]), this particular aspect took a bashing during [[The Eighties]] and [[The Nineties]] when [[C
** A more recent variant is the casting of an actor with [[Shakespearian Actors|impeccable dramatic credentials]] (such as Sir [[Ian McKellen]]) as a Dame or another minor character.
** In some productions, the guest stars can turn into the [[Spotlight-Stealing Squad]], but [[Justified Trope|only if they have the skill necessary to hold the audience's attention]].
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