Pantomime in South Africa

Pantomime as concept

Defined as an exotic form of entertainment for the entire family which is remotely based on a fairy tale or familiar story, but padded with popular songs, topical comedy and peopled with cross-dressed men and women.

Pantomime in South Africa

Beginnings in the 19th Century

Because of socio-political ties with Britain, pantomime became part of the South African theatre tradition in the 19th century. The first locally written pantomime in South Africa was performed in 1813, entitled ''The Siege of Troy'' and written by Boniface. Sefton Parry introduced the tradition of a seasonal pantomime with his production of Beauty and the Beast in 1857. In the 1870s and 1880s it was mainly the United Service Dramatic Company of Captain Disney Roebuck that gave annual pantomimes.

During the First World War the seasonal pantomimes were mainly produced by the J.C. Williamson organisation and the local impresario Leonard Rayne. They initiated the tradition of mounting a pantomime to tour the main centres. This tradition continued by African Theatres, was brought to an end by the depression of the 1930s. Amateur dramatic societies started to produce pantomimes I 1935, a practice which gained momentum in the late 1950s. * Pantomimes on ice were introduced in 1953 by African Consolidated Theatres. In Durban, during the 1960s Marjorie Chase developed this entertainment further. * After 1955 when African Consolidated Theatres did their last pantomime, amateur dramatic companies became mainly responsible for staging pantomimes. This trend was only changes in 1980 when NAPAC staged Cinderella by John Moss, the leading local panto scriptwright. During the 1990s PACT produced pantomimes in English and Afrikaans with Janice Honeyman as scriptwright and Nerrina Fereira as translator. (MK) (See Bosman, 1928 and 1980; Greyvenstein, 19** and Kruger, 199*)