The traditions that come with Christmas make the holiday so special. One of the most popular and long-standing Christmas traditions in modern history is going to a pantomime. The “panto” had the ability to make us laugh out loud and scream at the top of our voices. Many of us have very fond memories of going to a theatre for an evening of fun.
Generations of Dubliners and those around the country alike will probably have walked by the Gaiety Theatre around the holidays. Nowadays you would see crowds of people waiting to enter with eager children by their side, the bright lights of the building, colourful posters of whatever production is on and most importantly, vendors selling fluorescent wands and swords for dark moments during the show.
The atmosphere inside the venue would be even more electric. When the show began, we’d laugh loudly along with the characters while shouting “He’s behind you!” at them, desperate to warn them of who else is on the stage. You may even be asked to stand up in your seat and sing or dance along with them.
Pantomimes originated through a form of street theatre in the 16th century. It eventually made its way to Dublin, with newspaper articles reporting on it in the original Theatre Royal in Smock Alley in the first half of 18th century.
It had become quite popular by the 1820s and localised Irish themes became integrated into the storylines. Around twenty years later in the 1840s, the titles of shows included O’Donoghue of the Lakes or Harlequin and the Leprechaun.
Traditional storylines in pantomimes had been replaced by the 19th century. The new performances became along the lines of what we’d know today. The basis of which would revolve around European and indigenous folk stories such as Cinderella, Aladdin and Robinson Crusoe. Some of these shows are still performed today, most recently in 2019 when the Christmas Gaiety panto was Aladdin.
Throughout the years, panto stars have become household names. Many of us will have grown up with the excitement of seeing our favourite character year in year out.
One of the earliest stars in Dublin panto was Jimmy O’Dea. Born in 1899, O’Dea was from the south inner city. In the early days of his career, his father was very disapproving of the idea of his son becoming an actor. He once said, “I’d rather see you in a coffin first,” than see Jimmy on stage.
O’Dea first became an optician and only acted in his spare time. In 1925, he starred in Dick Whittington in the Queen’s Theatre before setting up O’D Productions with Harry O’Donovan in 1927. Sinbad The Sailor in the Olympia was their first production. The pair later became renowned for their performances in the Gaiety.
Vernon Hayden was the villain of pantomimes. He was born in Tyrone in 1914 and grew up performing. He later toured with Jim Johnson, a famous pantomime comedian. On this tour, the group would perform a different pantomime every single night for three years.
Hayden later joined O’Dea for the Gaiety Christmas panto and featured in it every year for 50 years until his death in 1990. He loved being on stage and especially loved playing the evil characters in shows. He once said, “The more hissing and booing from the children, the more I like it.” The more we liked it, too!
Other panto celebs throughout the years include Maureen Potter, Twink, Brendan Grace and many, many others.
Have you fond memories of going to the annual Christmas panto? Let us know down in the comments!
