noun
- a form of musical comedy theater, popular especially in Britain at Christmas, based on a fairy tale or nursery story and featuring slapstick humor, audience participation, and stock characters
Usage: chiefly British; often used attributively (e.g., panto season, panto dame)
Examples
- The children went to see a panto production of Cinderella during the Christmas holidays.
- She played the dame in the local panto and got huge laughs from the audience.
- Panto season runs from November through January in most British theaters.
- The panto featured all the traditional elements: a villain to boo, a hero to cheer, and plenty of jokes for adults.
- He's been performing in panto for over twenty years.