Will an American panto first timer enjoy this very British art form? Oh yes she will!
by Sabrina Russello
Jan 05, 2024
4 minutes
![](https://article-imgs.scribdassets.com/74j7b2d2m8bv34kb/images/fileBGHMZKDX.jpg)
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
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