In the early 1700s, a ‘new species of entertainment with glorious show and dancing’ appeared in central London. Actors performed a story and then a ‘transformation’ scene turned the entertainment into a Harlequinade. The Harlequinade characters came from the ‘Commedia dell’Arte’, groups of travelling players who toured Europe and ad libbed their way through performances full of music, dance and acrobatics. They included Harlequin, the mischievous hero in multi-coloured costume and black half mask who ’slapped’ his magic stick against the scenery (this is where the term ’slapstick’ comes from); his girlfriend Columbine and her father Pantaloon; Clown and sad Pierrot. These entertainments were staged for some 40 years: in the early 1800s, Joseph Grimaldi became the star of the Harlequinade and was loved by all who saw him – including Charles Dickens who is said to have been a pantomime fan.

Over the years, the Harlequinade part of the entertainment was dropped and pantomime producers started to recruit popular music hall stars of the late 1800s to appear in the shows which always opened on Boxing Day. These stars of the day brought many music hall traditions with them: men dressed as women and women dressed as men (showing off their legs and so helping to fill the theatre!). The new style pantos included popular songs and many were based on French fairy tales – Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, for example. There were traditional English stories too – like Dick Whittington and Jack and the Beanstalk. Tales from the Arabian Nights, like Aladdin and Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, were also adapted.