American pantomime

For the theatre form involving silent gestures and imaginary props, see Mime.

American pantomime is a genre of musical theatre presented in the United States of America since 1876. It is derived pantomime, an entertainment genre that developed in England, and in the US it is presented either as in Britain or adapted for the American stage and tailored to American audiences. Pantomime in America, as in England, is usually performed at Christmas time. The entertainments, aimed at family audiences, are based on nursery stories and fairy tales, and they incorporate songs (traditional, popular and new), slapstick comedy, often topical jokes, magic, some cross-dressing, local references, audience participation, and mild adult innuendo. Like the British productions, American pantomimes incorporate audience participation. Earlier productions often also included a harlequinade.

Although pantomime was not frequently produced in the US during the 20th century and is not well known in America, productions of pantomime, both professional and amateur, have been seen nearly every year somewhere in the US since the 1990s.

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