A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British pantomime. It is part of the theatrical tradition of travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. Dame characters are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting butch in women's clothing. They usually wear heavy make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in an over-the-top style.
Dame characters
Modern pantomime dames
Characters who are played as pantomime dames are often, though not exclusively, older, matronly women. They may be the protagonist's mother, as in Jack and the Beanstalk and Robinson Crusoe, or a nursemaid to the protagonist, as in Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Although often warm and sympathetic characters, dames may also be employed as comic antagonists, such as with the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella.[1] Although some pantomimes traditionally do not contain standard dame roles, certain productions of those stories add a dame character, for example, in many versions of Peter Pan.[2] Pantomime dames often have numerous costume changes in a performance, each costume change being more extravagant than the last.
Other examples of dame characters include:
Steven Blakeley – (born 1982) Blakeley has appeared in numerous pantomimes at Theatre Royal Windsor
Douglas Byng – (1893–1987) 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.
Les Dawson – (1931–1993) English comedian, remembered for his deadpan style and curmudgeonly persona.
Norman Evans – (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 Dawson to create the character of Ada" [4]
Rikki Fulton – (1924–2004) Award winning Scottish actor and comedian who also made numerous appearances in Scottish pantomimes, notably at The King's Theatre, Glasgow
Patrick Fyffe – (1942–2002) Creator of Dame Hilda Bracket, one half of Hinge and Bracket.
John Linehan (born 1952) – Northern Irish actor and pantomime dame better known as the character May McFettridge. Resident Dame at Grand Opera House, Belfast.
G. S. Melvin – (1886–1946) Scottish pantomime dame famous for his song "I'm Happy When I'm Hiking".
Paul O'Grady – (1955-2023) 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.
Harry "Little Tich" Relph – (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.
Clive Rowe – (born 1964) Regularly plays the Dame at the Hackney Empire and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2008 for his performance in 'Mother Goose' at said venue.
Allan Stewart - (born 1950) Scottish entertainer best known for playing dame at the King's Theatre, Edinburgh who played Buttons, Wishee Washee and other comic parts for many years but transitioned to playing dame after playing the character of Aunty May on TV.
Kenneth Alan Taylor – (born 1937) playing the pantomime dame for many years in his own productions at Nottingham Playhouse
Tommy Trafford – (1927–1993) Lancashire comedian and noted pantomime dame.
Jack Tripp – (1922–2005) An English comic actor, singer and dancer who appeared in seaside variety shows and revues.
Nick Wilton – (born 1957) English actor and scriptwriter, been a professional dame every Christmas since 2000.
Ben Roddy - (born 1974) an English actor, resident dame at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury since 2012.[8]
Peter PG Gordon - resident dame at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in consecutive Pantomimes since 2006.
