As part of events celebrating 150 years of Nottingham’s Theatre Royal, an exhibition on pantomime since 1865 is showcasing the best performances throughout the years.
The theatre has played host to a traditional pantomime every year – and remained open during both World Wars – closing only for refurbishment in 1977.
A list of stars who have performed on the historic stage span famous faces from TV, film and music, including George Formby, Keith Harris and Carry On’s Bernard Bresslaw.
David Longford, the venue’s creative learning manager, said: “The pantomime format hasn’t changed that much, except perhaps for reference to current affairs and politics in its scripts.
“We wanted to celebrate 150 years of pantomime – because that’s been continuous since 1865, when The House That Jack Built opened on Boxing Day night.
“What we’ve done is celebrate that tradition so our audiences coming to see this year’s pantomime can share memories and see the history.”
Photo gallery: Classic Theatre Royal pantomime posters throughout the years
In 1981, Aladdin, starring Barbara Windsor, broke the record and was still running in Easter following high demand.
Now curators say they want to archive all of their collection – which includes programmes and posters – to make it accessible online.
Mr Longford said: “Our aim is to start digitising this collection – 150 years is a huge amount of material to document.
“We plan to look at how the theatre operated during the war years, and make the material available to the public – gathering their memories of Panto throughout the years as well.”
As well as historic memorabilia donated by locals and museums, the exhibition features a dress-up area for children, and displays of costumes and props for past pantomimes are available to view.
The theatre was built at a cost of £15,000 by lace manufacturers John and William Lambert – opening with The School For Scandal, a play that was recently re-enacted as part of the theatre’s anniversary.
It opened its doors in the same year US President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Rudyard Kipling was born and Queen Victoria was on the throne.
The exhibition runs until January 10, is free, and can be seen on the Upper Circle of the theatre.
