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It is a form of theatre pretty much peculiar to Britain (as far as I know). It tends to focus on well-known children's stories (Aladin, Snow White, Cindarella, etc) and follows set conventions. Each pantomime has a 'pantomime Dame' which is a leading female character played by a male actor. There's usuallly also a male character played by a female actor. The 'Dame' is the most comedic of the characters and often acts as a 'guide' to the audience. The audience is addressed directly: in pantomime the fourth wall is barely there at all :P The audience is expected to participate. For instance, a common theme in pantomime is a villain (or other character, sometimes a beast) who comes in behind the lead character but remains unseen by them. They ask the audience 'where is that XXXX' and tell them to let them know if they see XXXX. The audience (usually children and families, but not eclusively) then shouts "he's behind you!" when XXXX comes into view.
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