From the 1660s Commedia
dell'arte characters began to appear in English plays.
Such was the success of Commedia in England that an intense
rivalry soon sprang up between the theatres producing it.
Within two days of a new performance opening at Lincoln's
Inn Fields Theatre in 1716, a show with an almost identical
title opened at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
John Rich
It was John Rich, an
actor manager who performed under the name of John Lun, who gave pantomime
its name. His pantomimes were composed of music, dance and
song, interspersed with dialogue. The pantomimes were in three
parts:
- A short introduction on a serious theme, sometimes based
on a classical myth.
- A popular tale, a legend or a folk story which later
developed into the pantomime stories we recognise today.
- The
Harlequinade.
After the second part of the pantomime the actors would transform
themselves into the Commedia characters for the Harlequinade.
These transformation
scenes became more and more elaborate, using stage technology
to thrill the audience. In time the transformation scenes
became hugely popular and established audience expectation
for spectacle in pantomime.
John Rich's first pantomime at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre
was called Harlequin Sorcerer and was in two acts,
one serious and one comic. It was billed alongside other kinds
of entertainment, and pantomimes continued to be part of mixed
bills until the middle of the 19th century.
Pantomimes made John Rich the most successful theatre manager
in England. He earned so much money that he built a brand
new theatre, the
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden which opened in December
1732. It became famous for its pantomimes, with elaborate
tricks and technical effects.
Commedia dell’arte
