Will an American panto first timer enjoy this very British art form? Oh yes she will!
Family friendly. Camp. Men in drag. As an American in Britain, my pantomime knowledge was distinctly limited when I walked into Hackney Empire to watch Aladdin a few weeks ago. I walked out forever changed, feeling more British than I ever had before.
After three years living in London, this festive period felt the right time to experience this most unique of British art forms. So I booked myself in for not one but two pantos – first at Hackney then Broadway Theatre in Catford – to really immerse myself in the world of dames, best boys, fairytale princes and princesses and, er, someone called Buttons.
So first came the Empire, and
