Block, SkipCaptcha, Automoderated users, edit, rollback
6,613
edits
Changes
pantomime plots
All pantomimes share certain features, including a matronly 'dame' character played by a man in [[cross-dressing|drag]], an exaggeratedly evil but incompetent [[villain]], a final [[wedding]] scene, audience participation, songs and earthy [[humor]]. Most pantomimes use a traditional plot (often a [[fairy tale]]), such as ''[[Cinderella]]'', ''[[Dick Whittington]]'' or ''[[Aladdin]]'', but almost any well-known story can be adapted into a recognisable pantomime by incorporating the characteristic features of the form.
All pantomimes share certain features, including a matronly 'dame' character played by a man in [[cross-dressing|drag]], an exaggeratedly evil but incompetent [[villain]], a final [[wedding]] scene, audience participation, songs and earthy [[humor]]. Most pantomimes use a traditional plot (often a [[fairy tale]]), such as ''[[Cinderella]]'', ''[[Dick Whittington]]'' or ''[[Aladdin]]'', but almost any well-known story can be adapted into a recognisable pantomime by incorporating the characteristic features of the form.
==Pantomime plots==
The vast majority of pantomimes take their story from a repertoir of commonly-used pantomime plots. These may be:
* [[Fairy tale]]s, eg ''Cinderella'', ''Puss in Boots'', ''Jack and the Beanstalk''.
* English [[folk tale]]s, eg ''[[Dick Whittington]]'', ''[[Robin Hood]]''.
* More recent well-known stories, eg ''[[Peter Pan]]''.
It is less common but not unknown for pantomime productions to adapt a story that is not traditionally used as a pantomime. For example, the Cambridge Footlights theater troupe has recently staged pantomime adaptations of ''[[Spartacus]]'' and ''Faust''<ref>[http://footlights.org/pantomime.html Cambridge Footlights Pantomime]</ref>. Even in these instances, the story chosen must be one that will be familiar to audiences.
All pantomime plots unfold along similar lines, mainly based around the interactions of the characters described below. Other essentials are that the story must end happily, with the villain defeated and the hero marrying his sweetheart, and the other good characters finding happiness in one form or another. If a story does not have a happy ending, or does not feature the required character types, it will need to be adapted to include these elements if it is to be performed as a pantomime.
==Characters==
==Characters==