"It's a role coveted by actors and enjoyed by audiences of all ages every Christmas, but playing a dame is harder than it looks. We speak to this year's panto stars about donning big dresses and bad make-up and pushing their bodies to the limit on stage"
"In panto, playing the part of the dame - be it the Cook in Dick Whittington, Widow Twankey or Mother Goose - is like nabbing the role of Hamlet. A prestige role that doesn't get bigger or better. Men masquerading as a matronly dame became common practice after HJ Byron created the character of Widow Twankey in Aladdin in 1861, and since then, they have been a defining part of panto - carrying the narrative and storyline along at a breakneck pace."
Playing a panto dame is a prestigious, physically demanding role that requires exaggerated costume, bad make-up, and robust comic performance. Dames often carry the narrative and drive the fast-paced storytelling of pantomimes. The tradition of men performing as matronly dames became common after HJ Byron created Widow Twankey in Aladdin in 1861. Dames appear as characters such as the Cook in Dick Whittington, Widow Twankey, or Mother Goose. The role is widely enjoyed by audiences of all ages each Christmas and requires performers to push their bodies to deliver slapstick, timing, and sustained stage energy.
Read at Independent
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