This convention is commonly broken nowadays but serves as an excellent foundation upon which to build your blocking. From policeman wielding foam truncheons, to dames doing damage with a frying pan, there is no end to the fun that can be had. Dan Leno as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1896) A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British and Irish pantomime. We now reach the end of the 18th century; the moment when the modern Clown really arrives. The Dames absurdly captivating character is the great legacy to modern pantomime left by a remarkable artist of the Victorian music hall. - Renew, refocus and refresh your acting. But in an everyday space such as a library, with an act so rooted in queer history and experience, its harder to separate the LGBTQ+ culture from the performer and the performance. What is it that attracts us - young and old - to this bizarre medley of fairy tale, dance, jokes and song? They hold the phone up to show me the meme. Loathed by stage mangers up and down the country, these scenes range from mildly messy to dangerously dirty. Pantomime is not taken seriously in Ireland. Miss Digby/Dinotabot on Twitter: "What's with Babets obsession with [CDATA[// >