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Pantomime Dame
A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British pantomime. It is part of the theatrical tradition of '' travesti'' portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. Dame characters are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting butch in women's clothing. They usually wear heavy make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in an over-the-top style. Dame characters Characters who are played as pantomime dames are often, though not exclusively, older, matronly women. They may be the protagonist's mother, as in ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' and ''Robinson Crusoe'', or a nursemaid to the protagonist, as in ''Sleeping Beauty'' and ''Snow White''. Although often warm and sympathetic characters, dames may also be employed as comic antagonists, such as with the Ugly Sisters in ''Cinderella''. Although some pantomimes traditionally do not contain standard dame roles, certain productions of those stories add a dame character, for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1896 DanLeno-WidowTwankey
Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery, last November, of a type of electromagnetic radiation, later known as X-rays. * January 6 – Cecil Rhodes is forced to resign as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, Cape of Good Hope for his involvement in the Jameson Raid. * January 7 – American culinary expert Fannie Farmer publishes her first cookbook. * January 12 – H. L. Smith takes the first X-ray photograph. * January 16 – Devonport High School for Boys is founded in Plymouth (England). * January 17 – Anglo-Ashanti wars#Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War (1895–1896), Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War: British British Army, redcoats enter the Ashanti people, Ashanti capital, Kumasi, and Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I is deposed. * January 28 – Walter Arnold, of E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based on a folk tale that he heard from the Syrian storyteller Hanna Diyab.Razzaque (2017) Sources Known along with Ali Baba as one of the "orphan tales", the story was not part of the original ''Nights'' collection and has no authentic Arabic textual source, but was incorporated into the book '' Les mille et une nuits'' by its French translator, Antoine Galland. John Payne quotes passages from Galland's unpublished diary recording Galland's encounter with a Maronite storyteller from Aleppo, Hanna Diyab. According to Galland's diary, he met with Hanna, who had travelled from Aleppo to Paris with celebrated French traveller Paul Lucas, on March 25, 1709. Galland's diary furthe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Leno
George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall act, for his dame roles in the annual pantomimes that were popular at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from 1888 to 1904. Leno was born in St Pancras, London, and began to entertain as a child. In 1864, he joined his parents on stage in their music hall act, and he made his first solo appearance, aged nine, at the Britannia Music Hall in Coventry. As a youth, he was famous for his clog dancing, and in his teen years, he became the star of his family's act. He adopted the stage name Dan Leno and, in 1884, made his first performance under that name in London. As a solo artist, he became increasingly popular during the late 1880s and 1890s, when he was one of the highest-paid comedians in the world. He developed a music hall act of talking ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herbert Campbell
Herbert Campbell (22 December 1844 – 19 July 1904), born Herbert Edward Story, was an English comedian and actor who appeared in music hall, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era. He was famous for starring, for many years, in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane's annual Christmas pantomimes, predominantly as a dame. Born in Lambeth, Campbell started his performing career appearing in amateur bands and quickly toured London's music hall's during the early 1860s. He decided to leave after a few years and adopted the stage name Herbert Campbell. He joined the minstrel performers Harman and Elston and the trio became known as ''Harmon, Campbell and Elston''. In 1868, Campbell decided to pursue a solo career as a comic vocalist and quickly established himself as a popular music hall comedian. In 1871 he made his first pantomime appearance in ''King Winter'' at the Theatre Royal, Liverpool and became a leading pantomime dame over the next decade. In 1882 h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Douglas Byng
image:Douglas Byng Allan Warren.jpg, Portrait by Allan Warren Douglas Coy Byng (17 March 1893 – 24 August 1987) was an English comic singer and songwriter in West End theatre, revue and cabaret. Billed as "Bawdy but British", Byng was famous for his female impersonations. His songs are full of sexual innuendo and double entendres. Due to the prejudices of the law and of the public at that time, Byng was a closeted homosexual, gay performer. To have been out, would have been social and professional suicide. He was noted for his Camp (style), camp performances in the music halls and in cabaret. Byng made a large number of recordings, many of which have been transferred to CD. Byng was also a noted pantomime dame and appeared in over 30 pantomimes. Early life Byng was born on 17 March 1893 in Basford, Nottinghamshire. His father was a bank manager and his mother (whose maiden name was Coy)Richard Anthony Baker, ''Old Time Variety: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2011, , ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steven Blakeley
Steven Blakeley (born 26 February 1982) is a British actor. He is best known for his role as PC Geoff Younger in the British police drama '' Heartbeat'', guest roles in various other television programmes and multiple theatre roles. Early life Steven Blakeley was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire in 1982 and was brought up in the Derbyshire mining town of Bolsover. He attended the Bolsover School, and was initially interested in pursuing a medical career, before turning his attentions to performing. Career Blakeley started his career as a member of the Derby Playhouse Community and Youth Theatre companies, before going on to work professionally at Derby Playhouse. He trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and at the Athanor Academy in Germany. His theatre credits include national tours of Peter Shaffer's ''The Private Ear and The Public Eye'', ''Dry Rot'' and ''Funny Peculiar'', ''Diary of a Nobody'' at the Royal and Derngate, '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Biggins
Christopher Biggins (born 16 December 1948) is an English actor and television personality. He became widely known for his roles in television series such as ''Porridge'', '' Poldark'' and '' I, Claudius'' in the 1970s. He later became known for making frequent appearances as a celebrity on television, which included winning the 2007 series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', and has performed frequently in pantomime. Early life Biggins was born in Oldham, Lancashire, the son of William and Pamela Biggins. He was brought up in Salisbury, Wiltshire, attended St Probus school, where he took elocution lessons, and participated in local drama groups. His first lead stage role was at the age of 17 in a Stage '65 production of Molière's '' Le Médecin malgré lui'', leading to work with a local repertory theatre company. He also studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School at the same time as Jeremy Irons. Career Television One of Biggins' earliest roles was on '' Upst ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stanley Baxter
Stanley Livingstone Baxter (born 24 May 1926) is a retired Scottish actor, comedian, impressionist and author. Baxter began his career as a child actor on BBC Scotland and later became known for his British television comedy shows '' The Stanley Baxter Show'', '' The Stanley Baxter Picture Show'', '' The Stanley Baxter Series'' and '' Mr Majeika''. Baxter has also written a number of books based on Glasgow. Early life The son of an insurance manager, Baxter was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 24 May 1926. He was educated at Hillhead High School, Glasgow, and schooled for the stage by his mother. He began his career as a child actor in the Scottish edition of the BBC's ''Children's Hour''. Following employment in mining as a Bevin Boy in World War II, he developed his performing skills further during his national service with the British Army's Combined Services Entertainment unit, working alongside comedy actor Kenneth Williams, actor Peter Vaughan, film director John Schles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trevor Bannister
Trevor Gordon Bannister (14 August 193414 April 2011) was a British actor. He was best known for having played the womanising and wisecracking junior salesman Mr Lucas in the sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1979, and for his role as Toby Mulberry Smith in the long-running sitcom ''Last of the Summer Wine'', from 2003 until it ended its run in 2010. Career In 1960, Bannister appeared on stage at the Cambridge Theatre in London in ''Billy Liar'', which starred Albert Finney. He starred as Darkie Pilbeam, a wartime spiv, in the 1968 television series '' The War of Darkie Pilbeam;'' from 1969 to 1970, he appeared as "Heavy Breathing" in Jack Rosenthal's sitcom, '' The Dustbinmen''. Shortly afterwards, he was asked to play Mr. Lucas in a '' Comedy Playhouse'' pilot called ''Are You Being Served?'' and took the part in the series. It was originally intended as a vehicle for him as the average man caught up in the store full of odd characters and baroque customs and, fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Alexander (English Actor)
Peter Alexander (born 15 October 1952, Midsomer Norton, Somerset) is an English actor and director. He is probably best known for playing the character of Phil Pearce in '' Emmerdale Farm'' for three years. He holds the unusual distinction of having appeared in all the main UK-made TV soap operas of the last 25 years, including ''EastEnders'', ''Coronation Street'', ''Brookside'', ''Emmerdale'' and ''Hollyoaks''. He returned briefly to ''Emmerdale'' as a different character in 2006 for the King's River House explosion plotline. He has appeared in many national touring theatrical productions, and in recent years has directed and starred in many pantomimes. Early life He was born in Midsomer Norton but spent the first seven years of his life in nearby Peasedown St John, Somerset. He was one of five children, and his parents were May Alexandra and Thomas Henry Carlile. He attended boarding school at Woolverstone Hall School in Suffolk. After a spell at Chichester College he tra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goldilocks And The Three Bears
"Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is a 19th-century English fairy tale of which three versions exist. The original version of the tale tells of an impudent old woman who enters the forest home of three anthropomorphic bachelor bears while they are away. She eats some of their porridge, sits down on one of their chairs, breaks it, and sleeps in one of their beds. When the bears return and discover her, she wakes up, jumps out of the window, and is never seen again. The second version replaces the old woman with a young, naive, blonde-haired girl named Goldilocks, and the third and by far best-known version replaces the bachelor trio with a family of three: a father bear, a mother bear, and a baby bear. The story has elicited various interpretations and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" is one of the most popular fairy tales in the English language.Elms 1977, p. 257 Southey's version In Robert Southey's story, three male bears ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puss In Boots
"Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master. The oldest written telling version (Italian for "Lucky Costantino") by Italian author Giovanni Francesco Straparola, included in ''The Facetious Nights of Straparola'' (), in which the cat is a fairy in disguise who helps his owner, a poor boy named Costantino from Bohemia, to gain his princess by duping a king, a lord, and many commoners. There is a version written by Girolamo Morlini, from whom Straparola used various tales in ''The Facetious Nights''; another version was published in 1634 by Giambattista Basile with the title . The most popular version of the tale was written in French at the close of the seventeenth century by Charles Perrault (1628–1703), a retired civil servant and member of the . Puss in Boots appears in DreamWorks' ''Shrek'' franchise, appea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
