Initially the pantomime in England was a short entertainment which was performed between the acts of an opera.  It was seen as a rather low grade form of opera, equivalent to the French vaudeville, but it was popular and eventually evolved into a show of its own.
Modern pantomime could be seen to date from the early 18th century in England when John Rich started to stage shows which became very popular indeed, especially as they added popular topical references and used a wide range of theatrical special effects.
Such shows continued to develop into the 19th century and by the 1870s were clearly recognisable as what we know as modern English pantomime today.
What made panto so recognisable as a unique form was its sense of fun and excitement, its portrayal of the outrageous and preposterous, and the inevitable triumph of good over evil – along with its conventions of the principal boy, horse costumes and the like. 

While there are many traditional pantomime stories, new Christmas shows have continued to be written for the modern child who approaches a live performance fully familiar with the special effects and the outrageous and preposterous storylines of television.

One such modern show is West End Pantomania which develops the story of Adam and Sarah who are in a right pickle as they attempt to put on their own Christmas panto - Cinderella.  With no cast, no costumes, no set and pretty much no idea of how to set up the show, they are really in need of a true Christmas miracle.  But then a lucky find begins to turn things around entirely…

The characters in the story solve their problems using some of the best contemporary books created around a Christmas theme including Olivia Helps with Christmas, How Santa Really Works, Dear Father Christmas, and The Best Christmas Present in the World.

This show is taken to schools by West End in Schools and is used not only to introduce children to live theatre in their own school but also to explore the themes of cooperation, imagination and the true meaning of Christmas whilst celebrating the tradition of pantomime through the story of Cinderella.

Additionally the company provides a sing-a-long CD so that schools can perform some of the songs for their Christmas concert – and remind the children later of the experience that they had when the pantomime came to school.

You can send us an enquiry by clicking to open this form, or click this link for more information.

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