Pantomime has become a peculiar institution. It is a musical play with stock characters usually based on a well known fairy story such as Cinderella, Babes in the Wood or Dick Whittington. The songs are often current hit songs with the lyrics altered to fit the play and often referencing current topics. The stock characters include:
the Hero, played by a young woman
the Heroine, also played by a young woman,
a pantomime horse, played by two people who often perform a soft shoe shuffle,
and the Dame, played my an older man.
The Dame provides the comedy and will often appear in a different and outrageous costume in each scene. The audience is meant to join in with the singing and there is a lot of interaction between the players and the audience with much cry out of "it's behind you" and "Oh no, it isn't" and "Oh yes, it is".
It is a traditional Christmas performance and most repertory theatres will put on a pantomime, often with celebrities playing the lead parts.