It's behind you!
As November draws to a close and the countdown to Christmas begins, what better way to get into the festive spirit than a good old Christmas panto? Light-hearted comedy, audience participation and eccentric costumes are all familiar aspects of the classic Christmas pantomime which we owe in large part to the enterprising Victorians. This is illustrated in Victorian Popular Culture.
© May Moore Duprez Archive. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Pantomime dates back to the sixteenth century and has its roots in the Italian ‘Commedia dell’Arte.’ Due to the restrictions surrounding the use of spoken language in performances, early pantomimes were largely visual and were often set to music. In 1843 the Theatres Act lifted this restriction and pantomimes closely resembling the ones we know and love today, soon became a popular form of family entertainment.
By the end of the nineteenth century, in true Victorian style, pantomime had reached new levels of extravagance. Performances could last up to five hours and featured enormous casts, popular fairy tale characters, principal boys, pantomime dames, extravagant set designs, live animals and magic tricks. The 1900 production of Sleeping Beauty and the Beast was one of the most elaborate and successful pantomimes ever produced at Drury Lane Theatre in London. Stage settings and scenes included a Fairy Parliament, a Tangled Forest, an Enchanted Crystal Garden, a grand staircase and several fountains. It became customary for pantomimes to open on Boxing Day, forever linking this entertainment with the Christmas period.
The Sleeping Beauty and the Beast, 1900, © Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Our Victorian Popular Culture resource also contains a programme for an 1896 production of the renowned pantomime tale Jack the Giant Killer. This ‘Grand Comic Christmas Pantomime’ is loosely based on the English fairy tale that tells the story of a young boy called Jack who slays a giant. In this pantomime written by Stanley Rogers, the giant is named Blunderbore, ‘a greedy monster who never feels cold.’ Some of the other somewhat humorous characters include:
‘The Wonderful Cow, who, being particularly valiant, objects to a cowyard.’
‘Spareribs Brisket, the Giant’s cooks, whose recipes cannot be Beeton.’
‘Simple Simon, particularly fond of pies, a youth of much piety.’
‘Margery Daw, a young lady with strong views on matrimony. She thinks paupers have no right to a union.'
© Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Recent posts
Step into the vibrant tapestry of the 1980s, where anti-nuclear protests, political upheavals, and iconic figures like Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan mingled with the neon glow of shoulder pads, arcade games, and synthesizers. Amy Hubbard, editor explores materials from AM's 1980s Culture and Society, a rich exploration of this era's excesses, innovations, and contradictions, covering topics from Conservatism's rise to the explosion of electronic music. Discover how technology transformed not just leisure but also communication, creativity, and societal landscapes, leaving an indelible mark on the decade's cultural fabric.
Amnesty International Archives features hundreds of thousands of images, including every Urgent Action issued between 1974-1991 detailing requests for action to intercede in humanitarian crises and protest atrocities around the world. The campaigns, internal developments and press perceptions of Amnesty are all explored in detail through the documents that are featured in the resource.