A mix of merriment, music and mayhem makes panto a beloved British holiday tradition

LONDON (AP) — Here’s a recipe as essential to Christmas in Britain as turkey, tinsel and mince pies.

Mix a fairy-tale plot with topical references, slapstick, song, dance and double entendres. Drench in sequins and spangles, mix vigorously, add some noisy audience participation, and you have a panto.

Pantos — short for pantomimes — are stage musicals that play at theaters big and small across the U.K. each winter. Formulaic but anarchic, family friendly but a little risque, they are a holiday tradition that give many children their first exposure to live theater — and adults a chance to cut loose.

Anyone who thinks Britons are buttoned up hasn't been to a panto. Audiences happily shed their inhibitions – cheering, singing, hissing the villain, shouting “He’s behind you!” to warn the hero.

“It’s singing, dancing, laughing — taking the family out and being able to be out with their kids and letting the kids run riot,” said Clive Rowe, who directed and stars in “Dick Whittington and his Cat” at the Hackney Empire — his 17th annual panto for the storied east London theater.

Pantomime has deep roots, stretching back to the stock characters and bawdy humor of the 16th-century Italian commedia dell’arte and the French harlequinade, as well as the English music hall. By the late 19th century, the elements had gelled into a form still recognizable today.

The plots are drawn from well-known fairy tales and children’s stories such as “Aladdin,” “Snow White” and “Cinderella.” Characters include a plucky hero, or “principal boy,” often played by a woman, an outrageous villain, and a “dame,” a sharp-tongued matron who is always played by a man in fabulously flamboyant drag.

“The pantomime dame is the beating heart of the show,” said Simon Sladen, curator of theater and performance at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. “She is that engine that drives it. Firstly with pace and anarchy, but also a little bit of sauce on the side.”

An estimated 3 million people in Britain attend a pantomime each year, in venues ranging from small regional theaters to London West End playhouses. Many theaters rely on them for a big chunk of their annual income.

When London’s theaters were closed for months by pandemic lockdowns in 2020, panto dames led a protest march through the city to stress their importance to the creative economy.

They provide seasonal work to faded pop stars, television entertainers, the occasional Hollywood celebrity — Pamela Anderson took Liverpool by storm when she starred in “Aladdin” in 2010, singing “Santa Baby” while suspended on a swing above the stage, dressed in costumes by Vivienne Westwood.

They are also vital experience for many young actors, including the A-listers of tomorrow.

Jude Law told The Associated Press recently that he’d played Humpty Dumpty, recalling his performance as “loud and round.” At 17, Michael Fassbender played one of Cinderella’s Ugly Sisters, and a tree.

“Wicked” star Jonathan Bailey starred alongside a young Nicholas Hoult in a production of “Peter Pan.” Hoult also appeared in “Mother Goose” as a child, and says he would happily do another, as they’re “really fun.”

Asked to sum up the art form, Bailey called it a “quintessentially British bloody good time for all the family.”

Today’s pantos often strive to reflect diversity, both onstage and in the audience. Rowe, whose Hackney Empire pantos draw many of their cast and crew from Britain’s Black communities, said that at its core the genre is “about acceptance.”

“It’s about understanding, it’s about the idea that being different isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “It should be brought in and kind of celebrated and that no matter where you are in society, from the youngest to the oldest, we all have a place and we should embrace that.”

Drag performer Ginger Johnson, starring in an adult “all-drag panto” version of “Peter Pan” at London’s Phoenix Theatre, said that panto’s ability to change is “why it’s managed to survive for so long as a cultural form.”

“I think for a lot of kids, panto is the first time that they come in contact with drag as well,” Johnson said.

Stage historian Sladen said that some are leaning into the drag element of panto, with “a bigger, wider explosion of roles than just the dame and the principal boy being cross-dressed.”

“We might see the fairy godmother played by a dame or played by a drag artist. We might see a wicked stepmother, also played by a very well-known drag performer. So (it’s) constantly evolving, constantly changing with the times.”

Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Kandaka Moore as Dick Whittington poses during a photocall for Hackney Empire's 25th pantomime in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Beth Sindy as Fairy Bowbells and Kat B as Thomas the Cat, appear on stage during a photocall for Hackney Empire's Dick Whittington and His Cat in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Graham MacDuff as King Rat strikes a pose on stage during a photocall for Hackney Empire's Dick Whittington and His Cat in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Kat B as Thomas the Cat and Kandaka Moore as Dick Whittington perform during a photocall for Hackney Empire's 25th pantomime in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Kat B as Thomas the Cat performs during a photocall for Hackney Empire's 25th pantomime in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Clive Rowe as Dame Sarah the Cook poses on stage during a photocall for Hackney Empire's 25th pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Cat, in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe (right) performs as Dame Sarah the Cook during a photocall for Hackney Empire's Dick Whittington and His Cat in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe (right) performs as Dame Sarah the Cook during a photocall for Hackney Empire's Dick Whittington and His Cat in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

BUDAPEST (AP) — European leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his stunning election victory in Hungary, not just for what the vibrant campaigner and the country's next premier might do but who he is not — long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to the continent's peace and prosperity.

The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orbán across the 27-nation European Union and its institutions.

“Today Europe wins and European values win,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a post on X on Sunday night. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk exclaimed on social media: “Back together! Glorious victory, dear friends!”

Orbán's 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the ravages of the world wars. Claiming he sought to advance Hungarian’s national interests over strategy forged in Brussels, Orbán time and again vetoed collective action such as support for Ukraine following Russia's all-out invasion.

Recently, the far-right leader's government outraged EU leaders and officials when it admitted to providing a backchannel to Russia during summits.

In a recent interview, Magyar told The Associated Press that if elected, he would repair Hungary’s relationship with the EU. However, he has carefully avoided taking firm positions on a number of divisive issues during the election campaign — including Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies and whether Hungary should extend more support to Ukraine. “All Hungarians know that this is a shared victory. Our homeland made up its mind. It wants to live again. It wants to be a European country,” Magyar said during his victory speech from the banks of the Danube River in Budapest, the capital.

Magyar said he received calls on Sunday night — before he took the stage to announce his victory — from French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Online, congratulations also flowed in from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and European Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Romanian President Nicușor Dan and European Council President António Costa also posted their well-wishes for Magyar.

“This is an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy," Starmer said.

“France welcomes the victory of democratic participation, the Hungarian people’s commitment to the values of the European Union, and Hungary’s commitment to Europe,” Macron said.

Merz said, “Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe.”

Kristersson referenced both the EU and NATO in his congratulation note to Magyar: “I look forward to working closely with you — as Allies and EU Members. This marks a new chapter in the history of Hungary.”

Slovenia’s liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob congratulated Magyar, saying his “victory over right-wing populism is also a great victory for the EU and its future.”

“Only a more united and more effective EU will be able to respond to the extremely serious challenges of the times ahead,” Golob said.

Israeli opposition figure Yair Lapid, himself a descendent of Hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust, also congratulated Magyar.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni congratulated Magyar but also thanked Orbán for “intense collaboration for these years."

Far-right French politician Jordan Bardella, seen as a nationally competitive politician in the 2027 French elections, praised Orbán's record on populist causes in a post on X. He made no mention of Magyar.

Even Orbán's staunchest allies in Europe congratulated Magyar.

Populist Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said that in the election, "facing such a strong opponent as Viktor Orbán was never easy, yet he earned the trust of the majority of Hungarians and carries great hopes and expectations. He must not disappoint.”

Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico congratulated Magyar and said he was “ready for intensive cooperation with the new Hungarian Prime Minister.”

Referencing the Druzhba pipeline shuttered since an attack in Ukraine — an issue Orbán campaigned on and one exacerbated by rising energy prices over the Iran war — Fico said Slovakia is “interested in friendly and mutually beneficial relations with Hungary and in the above-standard status of national minorities living on the territories of our countries,.” Both Babiš and Fico vowed to work with Hungary's next leader.

Von der Leyen, who had like many EU officials avoided any public position on the Hungarian election, posted on X that "Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country returns to its European path. The Union grows stronger.”

Orbán had vilified the Brussels-based EU executive and frequently stymied her agenda.

European People's Party President Manfried Weber, also a frequent Orbán target, said on social media that "Hungary is back at the heart of Europe."

German lawmaker Daniel Freund said that “Hungarians are sending a signal to the world" — and warned that Orbán’s election loss will reverberate among populist leaders world over.

“The icon of illiberal anti-European forces has now failed - brought down by a disastrous economy, corruption, and his own unfair electoral system," Freund said.

Ukraine's posted congratulations to Magyar on its X account, referencing two historic rivers of Ukraine and Hungary.

“The Dnipro and the Tisza flow through a shared home — Europe,” it said.

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.

Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, center, speaks to his supporters following the announcement of the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party waves a national flag after claiming victory in a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, waves the Hungarian flag following the announcement of the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Supporters of Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party celebrate after a parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, center, celebrates with his party colleagues following the announcement of the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)