Pantomime dame

Euan McIver as pantomime dame

A pantomime dame is a traditional character in British pantomime. It is a continuation of en travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting 'butch' in women's clothing. They wear big make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in a melodramatic style.

Examples of these characters are: Widow Twankey in "Aladdin", the Nanny or Nurse in "Sleeping Beauty", Jack's mother in "Jack and the Beanstalk", Jim Hawkins' mother in "Treasure Island" and Sinbad's mother in "Treasure Island" as well as the cook in "Dick Whittington". In productions of "Cinderella", one may find that there are two dames in the script, who are the Ugly Sisters.

Possibly the best known of this type of character is Dame Edna Everage whose name plays on two meanings of dame: this tradition and the title equivalent to Sir.

Notable pantomime dames in Britain

• Peter Alexander - (born 1952) Notable dame in pantomimes in Yorkshire.
• Douglas Byng - (1893–1988) 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.
• Christopher Biggins - (born 1948) TV personality, actor
• 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"
• Patrick Fyffe - Creator of Dame Hilda Bracket, one half of Hinge and Bracket.
• Chris Harris - Dame at Theatre Royal, Bath for many years, and writer and director of many pantomimes.
• Melvyn Hayes - (born 1935) TV personality, actor well-known for playing Gunner/Bombardier 'Gloria' Beaumont in BBC TV's It Ain't Half Hot Mum
• John Inman - (1935–2007) Camp comedy actor well-known for playing Mr Humphries in BBC TV's Are You Being Served?
• Berwick Kaler - (born 1947) Currently Britain's longest serving, Kaler has played his extremely non-camp dame at York Theatre Royal since 1977
• George Lacey - "Widely regarded as the greatest dame of his generation, Lacey played more than 60 dames between 1923, when he was 19, and 1984"
• James Rogers - The first actor to play Widow Twankey, in the 1861 pantomime at the Strand Theatre.
• Danny La Rue - (1927–2009) Irish-born British entertainer known for his singing and drag impersonations
• G. S. Melvin - (1886–1946) Scottish pantomime dame famous for his song "I'm Happy When I'm Hiking".
• Paul O'Grady - (born 1955) 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.
• Shaun Prendergast (born 1958) - Resident Dame at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith since 2010. Has been quoted in the Daily Telegraph as being 'finest, funniest pantomime Dame in London'.
• 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.
• Kenneth Alan Taylor - actor, writer director who has performed at Nottingham Playhouse for 25 years.
• 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.