Pantomime dame

A pantomime dame is a traditional role in British pantomime. It is a continuation of travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting 'butch' in women's clothing. They wear big make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in a melodramatic style. While not from pantomime, possibly the best known of this type of character is Dame Edna Everage whose name plays on two meanings of dame: this tradition and the title equivalent to Sir.

Characters who are played as pantomime dames are often - though not exclusively - older, matronly women. Indeed, 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. Some pantomimes traditionally do not contain standard dame roles, but certain productions may add a dame character, as in the case with many pantomime versions of Peter Pan. Further examples of these characters include:

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