“We are rapidly acquiring all the institutions of advanced civilization, for though we have not yet got a hospital or a poor house, yet we shall shortly be able to enjoy a Christmas Pantomine”

So begins an article from The Waikato Times on 16 December 1886

While not sure I would christen the panto in quite such glowing terms, growing up in snowy Britain means the Panto is an intrinsic part of Xmas for me. Back home, the search for the annual Pantomine would begin early October.  Would we opt for Cinderella at the local community hall or splash out and see Aladdin at the Stratford Royal?  

Either way, I have never been much enamored by the panto. But I am intrigued by how it has lodged itself amidst our Christmas festivities. Perhaps it is the spirit of carnival embraced by all worthy pantos? The macho man caught within the trappings of Widow Twanky’s petticoats.....Until the 1880s, the main panto characters were transformed at the end into clowns for a slapstick conclusion. Kings and Queens became Clowns and Pantaloons, with the audience roaring “he’s behind you!” 
As Shakespeare knew in Twelfth Night, created for performance on Labour Day on 1st May, what better way to celebrate a holiday than to lampoon the everyday rules and order?

Despite the sparks of chaos, panto audiences know that they are buying  a safe ride back to civility. This was true even for Hamilton folk in 1886 who were treated by a ‘brand new play…not a worn out composition from the Old Country’…Set in the kingdom of I.O.U,   Jack the hero of hard work is pitched against the Evil Spirit of Speculation.  (A lesson for out times??) The moral isn’t a subtle one as the Queen of the Fairies chastises Gambla for his ‘reckless peculation.’ All this must occur before Hard Working Jack can marry Princess Avenir or ‘Future’ and ‘the false impetus of borrowed money’ is defeated.

Phew!  The script may have been new, but this was a good old fashioned panto where the moral order is safely restored by the final sing-along.