When Did Pantomime Start?
Pantomime Is Often Seen as Something Quaint, Something Utterly British, but Its Origins Lie in Warmer Climes. It Developed from the Italian Street Theatre of...
Pantomime is often seen as something quaint, something utterly British, but its origins lie in warmer climes. It developed from the Italian street theatre of the Commedia dell'arte in the 16th Century, with comedic moments, stock characters and great physicality.
Where did pantomime first come from?
Pantomime has its roots in 'Commedia dell'Arte', a 16th-century Italian entertainment which used dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and featured a cast of mischievous stock characters. Harlequin was the quick-witted miscreant who carried a magic bat, wore a mask and dressed in clothes made of patches.
Who started pantomime?
A rough, uneducated man called John Rich played a key role in the emergence of pantomime. Rich was a dancer, acrobat and mime artist and during the 1720s he was managing a theatre at Lincoln's Inn Fields. What he created was a new kind of entertainment.
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