Boo & Hiss                                  .

  A canter through Ashton’s Pantomime history from the 1800s to 2007

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Pantomime is the ultimate in British family entertainment and has been drawing crowds for centuries.

The authors have divided their examination of professional pantomimes staged in Ashton-under-Lyne into two key parts.

The first starts with its earliest introduction with the harlequinades in 1803 and continues to show how Ashton reflected the development of panto, with the establishment of the now expected cross-dressing, political satire, double-entendres, the addition of well-known personalities, and, of course, audience participation, ending with the closure of the once grand Theatre Royal in 1957, which during its 66-year lifespan had built up a reputation as 'the home of pantomime’.

The second section covers the period of the Tameside Theatre/Hippodrome and its 29 pantomimes from 1976 to 2007. Many celebrities, performers, and producers talk about their experiences in Ashton, not just of the shows themselves but also of the planning, staging, and backstage atmosphere.