Pantomime Dames Prepare For The Panto Season

LLANDUDNO, WALES - DECEMBER 14: Pantomime Dame Nigel Ellacott waits in the wings at Venue Cymru, before returning to the stage as Queen Blodwyn in Sleeping Beauty on December 14, 2013 in Llandudno, North Wales. Nigel is one of the most glamorous Dames on the pantomime circuit, and is pictured here in a costume that once belonged to the legendary female impersonator Danny La Rue. Pantomime is a Christmas tradition in the UK that dates back over 500 years to beginnings in the 16th Century Italian street theatre Commedia dell'arte, and uses physical theatre, innuendo and slapstick comedy to tell fairy stories. The central cross-dressing role of the Pantomime Dame, usually a mother, queen or widow, is a kind hearted figure, most often played by middle-aged men in large colourful dresses, and vivid, over-exaggerated make-up. The Dame emerged in the music halls of 19th century Victorian London and continues to this day, evolving and becoming more glamorous each year. Photo by Mary Turner/Getty Images)