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Pantomime
Pantomime, word which has drastically changed its meaning over the years. It is derived from the Latin pantomimus, ‘player of many parts’, but a misunderstanding as to the art of the Roman player of pantomime led to its adoption as the description of a story told in dancing only. A confusion in the public mind between such ballets and the story-telling dances of the harlequinade led to the adoption of the term ‘pantomime’ for this offshoot of the commedia dell'arte, which became so popular in England when performed by John Rich and others that it was eventually lengthened to provide a whole evening's entertainment. To lessen the burden on the dancers, the harlequinade was preceded at first by a classical fable which gave some Immortal the opportunity of handing Harlequin his magic wand. In the 19th century this opening scene was elaborated (and incidentally gave rise to the fashionable burlesque and extravaganza), and the subjects gradually changed to fairy-tales, actresses being cast as the young heroes, the so-called principal boys. At the same time the comic elderly characters, who had previously been played by men, became the prerogative of the knockabout comedian and were henceforth known as Dames. The success of the fairy-tale openings—Cinderella, Babes in the Wood, Aladdin, Red Riding Hood—caused them to be spun out for so long that the harlequinade was relegated to a short scene at the end, and although it lingered on in some theatres, particularly in the provinces, it eventually disappeared. Pantomimes in their new and entirely English form were soon associated with Christmas, and most theatres produced them. They usually opened on Boxing Day (26 Dec.) and ran till March, some actors playing in nothing else. With the importation of speciality acts from the music-halls, the show became such a hotchpotch of incongruous elements—slapstick, romance, topical songs, male and female impersonation, acrobatics, splendid settings and costumes, precision and ballet dancing, trick scenery, and transformation scenes—that for a time the phrase ‘a proper pantomime’ was used outside the theatre in colloquial English to signify ‘a state of confusion’.
The word pantomime was also used in France for the wordless Pierrot plays of Deburau until the genre disappeared. Its most famous production was L'Enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son), widely performed during the 1890s with a girl as Pierrot. Fox also staged pantomimes in the USA, while another meaning was given to the word during the craze for melodrama, when it signified the use of dumb show to convey ideas wordlessly. In this sense it is an important element in all acting and dancing, particularly ballet. Modern performers in dumb show, in order to distinguish their art from the popular idea of pantomime, describe it as mime. |
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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Pantomime." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Pantomime." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Pantomime.html PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Pantomime." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-Pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime or mime [Gr.,=all in mimic], silent form of the drama in which the story is developed by movement, gesture, facial expression, and stage properties. It is known to have existed among the Chinese, Persians, Hebrews, and Egyptians and has been observed in many other cultures. Pantomime was popular in ancient Rome, where it was often explained by songs or simple action. The traditional characters of pantomime take their origin in the Italian commedia dell'arte of the 16th cent. English pantomime, originated by John Rich , was more pageant than pantomime, and in 1818, when J. R. Planche began his extravaganzas with "speaking openings," pantomime in England became a dramatic spectacle with songs and speeches. Joseph Grimaldi and Jean Gaspard Deburau were famous pantomime stars of the 19th cent. In silent pictures, Charlie Chaplin made his name as a great pantomime actor. Marcel Marceau has been the leading artist in France.
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"pantomime." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pantomime." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pantomim.html "pantomime." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-pantomim.html |
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pantomime
pan·to·mime / ˈpantəˌmīm/ • n. 1. a dramatic entertainment, originating in Roman mime, in which performers express meaning through gestures accompanied by music. ∎ an absurdly exaggerated piece of behavior: he made a pantomime of checking his watch. ∎ inf. a ridiculous or confused situation or event: the drive to town was a pantomime. 2. Brit. a theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, that involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas. • v. [tr.] express or represent (something) by extravagant and exaggerated mime: the clown candidates pantomimed different emotions. DERIVATIVES: pan·to·mim·ic / ˌpantəˈmimik/ adj. pan·to·mim·ist n. |
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"pantomime." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pantomime." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pantomime.html "pantomime." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime a theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas. Modern British pantomime developed from the harlequinade and the cast typically includes a man in the chief comic female role (‘principal dame’), a woman in the main male role (‘principal boy’), and an animal played by actors in comic costume.
Pantomime is recorded from the late 16th century, and was first used in the Latin form and in the sense of an actor in Roman mime expressing meaning through gestures accompanied by movement. The current use developed in English in the mid 18th century. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pantomime." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pantomime." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-pantomime.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "pantomime." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime,
1. originally a Roman actor, who performed in dumb show, representing by mimicry various characters and scenes; 2. an English dramatic performance, originally consisting of action without speech, but in its further development consisting of a dramatized traditional fairy tale, with singing, dancing, acrobatics, clowning, topical jokes, a transformation scene, and certain stock roles, especially the ‘principal boy’ (i.e. hero) acted by a woman and the ‘dame’ acted by a man. (See mime.) |
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-pantomime.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime (from Gk., ‘all imitating’).
1. Play in which artists use dumb show. 2. Mimed episode in larger work, e.g. in Ravel's ballet Daphnis et Chloé when story of Pan and Syrinx is mimed. 3. Type of Eng. stage show usually presented at the Christmas period, loosely based on a fairy-story, containing songs, and in former times concluding with harlequinade. |
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-pantomime.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime ancient Roman actor who performed in dumb show XVII; dramatic entertainment by gestures to a musical accompaniment; performance of a dramatized tale followed by a transformation scene and clowning XVIII. — F. pantomime or L. pantomīmus — Gr. pantómīmos adj. and sb.; see PANTO-, MIME. Abbrev. panto XIX.
So pantomimic XVII. — L. |
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T. F. HOAD. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pantomime.html T. F. HOAD. "pantomime." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime Theatrical spectacle with its modern origins in early 18th-century France. It has come to mean a Christmas extravaganza, with music and comic actors. Popular in England by the 19th century, the ‘dame’ figure was traditionally played by a male actor and the principal boy by a female. The once-central Harlequin character now appears infrequently.
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"pantomime." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pantomime." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-pantomime.html "pantomime." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-pantomime.html |
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pantomime
pantomime •begrime, Chaim, chime, climb, clime, crime, dime, grime, half-time, I'm, lime, mime, mistime, part-time, prime, rhyme, rime, slime, sublime, thyme, time
•paradigm • Mannheim • Waldheim
•Sondheim • Trondheim
•Guggenheim • Anaheim • Durkheim
•quicklime • brooklime • birdlime
•pantomime • ragtime • pastime
•bedtime • airtime
•daytime, playtime
•teatime • mealtime • dreamtime
•meantime • peacetime • springtime
•anytime • maritime • flexitime
•lifetime • nighttime • wartime
•downtime • noontime • sometime
•one-time • lunchtime • summertime
•wintertime • enzyme
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"pantomime." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "pantomime." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pantomime.html "pantomime." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 09, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-pantomime.html |
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