Pantomime dame
Encyclopedia
A pantomime dame is a traditional character in British
pantomime
. It is a continuation of en travesti
portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag
. They are often played either in an extremely camp
style, or else by men acting 'butch
' in women's clothing. They wear big make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in a melodramatic style.
Examples of these characters are: Widow Twankey
in "Aladdin", the Nanny or Nurse in "Sleeping Beauty", Jack's mother in "Jack and the Beanstalk", Jim Hawkins' mother in "Treasure Island" and Sinbad's mother in "Treasure Island" as well as the cook in "Dick Whittington". In productions of "Cinderella", one may find that there are two dames in the script, who are the Ugly Sisters.
In Monty Python's Flying Circus
(Episode 30) non-British viewers were puzzled by the nature-film sequence in which the Pantomime Princess Margaret, lurking in the undergrowth, harpooned a silver breakfast tray that was scuttling down the woodland trail: "The unsuspecting breakfast glides ever closer to its doom..."
The name of the character Dame Edna Everage
plays on two meanings of dame, this tradition and that of the title that is equivalent to Sir
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. It is a continuation of en travesti
En travesti
Travesti is a theatrical term referring to the portrayal of a character in an opera, play, or ballet by a performer of the opposite sex. Some sources regard 'travesti' as an Italian term, some as French. Depending on sources, the term may be given as travesty, travesti, or en travesti...
portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
. They are often played either in an extremely camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
style, or else by men acting 'butch
Butch and femme
Butch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
' in women's clothing. They wear big make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in a melodramatic style.
Examples of these characters are: Widow Twankey
Widow Twankey
Widow Twankey is a female character in the pantomime Aladdin. The character is a pantomime dame, portrayed by a man; and is a comic foil to the principal boy, Aladdin – played by an actress.-History:...
in "Aladdin", the Nanny or Nurse in "Sleeping Beauty", Jack's mother in "Jack and the Beanstalk", Jim Hawkins' mother in "Treasure Island" and Sinbad's mother in "Treasure Island" as well as the cook in "Dick Whittington". In productions of "Cinderella", one may find that there are two dames in the script, who are the Ugly Sisters.
In Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
(Episode 30) non-British viewers were puzzled by the nature-film sequence in which the Pantomime Princess Margaret, lurking in the undergrowth, harpooned a silver breakfast tray that was scuttling down the woodland trail: "The unsuspecting breakfast glides ever closer to its doom..."
The name of the character Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
plays on two meanings of dame, this tradition and that of the title that is equivalent to Sir
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
.
Notable pantomime dames in Britain
- Peter AlexanderPeter Alexander (English actor)Peter Alexander is an English actor and director. He is probably best known for playing the character of Phil Pearce in Emmerdale Farm for three years....
- (born 1952) Notable dame in pantomimes in Yorkshire. - Douglas ByngDouglas Byngthumb|right|200px|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]Douglas Byng was a British comic singer and songwriter in West End theatre, revue and cabaret. Billed as "Bawdy but British", Byng was famous for his female impersonations. His songs are full of sexual innuendo and double entendres...
- (1893–1988) A legendary dame who appeared in over 50 pantomimes, Byng was also a noted cabaret and revue artiste. He was the first glamorous dame and designed all his own costumes. - Christopher BigginsChristopher BigginsChristopher Kenneth Biggins is an English actor and media personality.-Career:Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, England and brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where he took elocution lessons and participated in local drama groups...
- (born 1948) TV personality, actor - Les DawsonLes DawsonLeslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
- (1931–1993) English comedian, remembered for his deadpan style and curmudgeonly persona. - Norman EvansNorman EvansNorman Evans , was a variety and radio artiste, born in Rochdale, Lancashire, England.Evans was discovered by fellow Rochdale entertainer Gracie Fields...
- (1901–1962) "Evans' distinctive dame evolved out of nosy neighbour Fanny Fairbottom, a character he played on the sketch show Mr Tower of London. Fanny was hugely popular, and allegedly inspired Les DawsonLes DawsonLeslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
to create the character of Ada" - Patrick Fyffe - Creator of Dame Hilda Bracket, one half of Hinge and Bracket.
- Chris Harris - Dame at Theatre Royal, BathTheatre Royal, BathThe Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
for many years, and writer and director of many pantomimes. - Melvyn HayesMelvyn HayesMelvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
- (born 1935) TV personality, actor well-known for playing Gunner/Bombardier 'Gloria' Beaumont in BBC TV's It Ain't Half Hot MumIt Ain't Half Hot MumIt Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army... - John InmanJohn InmanFrederick John Inman was an English actor best known for his role as Mr. Humphries in Are You Being Served?, a British sitcom in the 1970s and 1980s. Inman was also well known in the United Kingdom as a pantomime dame....
- (1935–2007) Camp comedy actor well-known for playing Mr Humphries in BBC TV's Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served?Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John... - Berwick KalerBerwick KalerBerwick Kaler is a British actor most famous for playing the dame in York Theatre Royal's annual pantomime, which he also writes and directs. He has been awarded the freedom of the city, and in 2002 received an honorary degree from the University of York. Having grown up in "the slums of...
- (born 1947) Currently Britain's longest serving, Kaler has played his extremely non-camp dame at York Theatre Royal since 1977 - George Lacey - "Widely regarded as the greatest dame of his generation, Lacey played more than 60 dames between 1923, when he was 19, and 1984"
- James Rogers - The first actor to play Widow TwankeyWidow TwankeyWidow Twankey is a female character in the pantomime Aladdin. The character is a pantomime dame, portrayed by a man; and is a comic foil to the principal boy, Aladdin – played by an actress.-History:...
, in the 1861 pantomime at the Strand Theatre. - Danny La RueDanny La RueDanny La Rue, OBE was an Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations.-Early life:...
- (1927–2009) Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations - G. S. MelvinG. S. MelvinGeorge Spence Melvin, known as G.S. Melvin was a famous Scottish pantomime dame and comedian.Melvin was born in Old Machar, Aberdeen, Scotland. He became famous for his song "I'm Happy When I'm Hiking"; in the 1930s this was adopted as the hikers' anthem...
- (1886–1946) Scottish pantomime dame famous for his song "I'm Happy When I'm Hiking". - Paul O'GradyPaul O'GradyPaul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
- (born 1955) British comedian and actor best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage. - Shaun PrendergastShaun PrendergastShaun Prendergast is a British actor and writer. Prendergast has made hundreds of appearances in television, film and on radio and written extensively for the stage, television, radio and film. He played Greg Doland in British soap opera Emmerdale from August 2007 until July 2008. In 2009 he...
(born 1958) - Resident Dame at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith since 2010. Has been quoted in the Daily Telegraph as being 'finest, funniest pantomime Dame in London'. - Harry "Little Tich" RelphLittle TichHarry Relph, , known on the stage as "Little Tich", was an English music hall comedian. He was noted for the characters of The Spanish Señora, The Gendarme and The Tax Collector, but his most popular routine was his Big Boot dance, which involved a pair of 28-inch boots, commonly called "slapshoes"...
- (1867–1928) He was noted for his various characters, including The Spanish Señora, The Gendarme, and The Tax Collector, but his most popular routine was his Big Boot dance, which involved a pair of 28-inch boots. - Kenneth Alan Taylor - actor, writer director who has performed at Nottingham PlayhouseNottingham PlayhouseThe Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in the 1950s when it operated from a former cinema. Directors during this period included Val May and Frank Dunlop.-The building:...
for 25 years. - Tommy TraffordTommy TraffordTommy Trafford was a Lancashire comedian and a noted pantomime dame.He lived his early life in Blacko, near Nelson, where he performed in church productions alongside Jimmy Clitheroe, "The Clitheroe Kid", with whom he went to school...
- (1927–1993) Lancashire comedian and noted pantomime dame. - Jack TrippJack TrippJack Tripp MBE was an English comic actor, singer and dancer who appeared in seaside variety shows and revues and became best-known for his many performances as a pantomime dame....
- (1922–2005) An English comic actor, singer and dancer who appeared in seaside variety shows and revues.