Traditionally, the festive show features “the principal boy” – a female in the main lead role; think Aladdin, or Prince Charming. There is also always a “pantomime dame”, usually the ...

Pantomime is often seen as something quaint ... with a witty rhyming style that included topical content. The Principal Boy - played by a woman - also offered the Victorian gentleman the rare ...

Stage historian Sladen said that some are leaning into the drag element of panto, with “a bigger, wider explosion of roles than just the dame and the principal boy being cross-dressed.” ...