A Corpse in Christmas Close begins in November 1923 when local reporter Iris Woodmore is sent to cover the Prince of Wales’ visit to historic Winchester. However, she finds herself on the trail of more than just royal gossip when the leading lady in Winchester Cathedral’s charity production of Cinderella is found dead in mysterious circumstances.
In the 1920s, most pantomimes were humorous adaptations of popular fairy tales. Productions of Cinderella, Bo Peep, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood were staged across Britain.
However, the roots of pantomime can be traced back centuries to commedia dell’arte, the improvised comedy popular in Italian theatres from the 16th to 18th centuries. Travelling troupes of actors would form a cast of stock characters, including Harlequin, Scaramouche, Pantaloon, Pierrot, and Columbine, to improvise comic stories to a basic plot.
Shows would include singing, dancing, and acrobatics, and the actors would rely on a repertoire of phrases and jokes related to their characters. Audiences became familiar with these and joined in, much like the pantomimes of today.
Over centuries, these stage shows evolved, and by the end of the 19th century some of the most extravagant productions were to be found in London. Pantomimes could last up to five hours, with huge casts dressed in flamboyant costumes performing dazzling stage tricks.
Pantomimes often opened on Boxing Day, offering Christmas entertainment for the whole family. Writers would weave in double-entendres and innuendo for the grown-ups amongst the slapstick and child-friendly comedy.
By this time, gender-switching had become a common feature of pantomimes. While men have played female roles throughout the history of theatre, women taking male roles is a more recent development. Although women often acted in street performances, it was illegal in England for a woman to act on the stage professionally until 1661.
By the latter half of the 19th century, it was customary for the principal boy to be played by a girl. Female music hall stars such as Vesta Tilley and Marie Lloyd were famous for playing principal boys at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. At a time when women wore long skirts, it was considered risqué to see actresses perform in shorts and tights. But by the 1920s, fashions had changed, and it was no longer controversial to see women on stage in short skirts or wearing breeches.
Although the big shows were staged in London and major cities, by the 1920s most regional theatres would host a pantomime at Christmas. In A Corpse in Christmas Close, a charity production of Cinderella is staged in a church hall close to the city’s medieval cathedral – where a killer lurks in the shadows of the ancient Christmas Close…
