Pantomime - Tumblr Posts
Don't forget also the role of Principal Boy, the young male protagonist of the pantomime traditionally played by an actress in boys clothes. There's a good overview of this on the website of the Victoria and Albert museum, but in short, this was absolutely considered risqué around the time it began to be commonplace (mid-1800s), and many of the actors performing these roles came from music hall backgrounds (often considered a more 'lower class' or vulgar sort of entertainment) where they were male impersonators (what we might consider drag kings today).
It's more outside of my area of experience, but opera has also traditionally had such 'breeches roles', at least in part to utilise different vocal ranges.
Why is pantomime so gay?
Let me tell you something: I became curious and watched some televised ones on Youtube, and why is this British Christmas entertainment so gay?
I'm not complaining, just very surprised.
The great pantomime dame is a drag queen in everything but name. And I thought they would be only villains, but even more heroic characters like Jack's mother from Jack and the Beanstalk and Aladdin's mother can be played like that.
Widow Twankey, Aladdin's mother in the panto, even uses humor that is not very far off from a real drag queen.
✨THE MOST GLAMOUROUS FAIRY GODMOTHER EVER! ✨
Taken from Beauty and the Beast - Press Day yesterday! Laura will star in Aberdeen’s Christmas panto for the second time since Covid!
EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING AS I’M SEEING THIS LOT A MONTH TODAY - WOOP WOOP!! 🌹
No better end to my year than returning to Aberdeen on December 18th, seeing Laura perform since 2019! She was fantastic in Beauty and The Beast - spectacular rendition of ‘Defying Gravity’ ✨
Hope you all have a wonderful New Year! Can’t wait to see what’s in-store for 2022! Thanks for supporting my wee page!