Buttons (pantomime)

An actor playing Buttons in a 2015 pantomime in Herne Bay, England

Buttons is a traditional character in Cinderella pantomimes, and is commonly portrayed in Cinderella pantomimes throughout the UK and Australia. He is typically a male servant of the household who helps Cinderella and loves her, and who is liked and trusted but not loved by her.[1] The character has sometimes been called Pedro.[2][3][4]

The character first appeared in 1860 at the Strand Theatre, London in a version of the story derived from the opera La Cenerentola by Rossini. Rossini includes a character Dandini as assistant to the Prince, which was also included, and a complementary character for Cinderella, called Buttoni was added for the pantomime at this time.[5][6] 'Buttons' was at that time a name for a young male servant or pageboy commonly having gilt buttons down the front of his jacket.[7]

While the character introduces a note of pathos in his unrequited love for Cinderella,[1][8] he is often portrayed in a comic tone.[1][6]

  1. ^ a b c Brown, Richard (2002). ""When in doubt do gender": Constructing Masculinities in "Penelope," "they're all Buttons men"". Joyce Studies Annual. 13: 156–7. doi:10.1353/joy.2002.0005. S2CID 193158040.
  2. ^ "Theatricals". The Age. London. 17 November 1839.
  3. ^ "The Drama". Bell's Life in London and Sporting Chronicle. London. 6 October 1844.
  4. ^ Marie, Louise (29 May 1891). "Tea Table Talk". The Dart. Birmingham.
  5. ^ Bovey, Paul. "A Very Slippery Tale" (PDF). panto.johngood.com. John Good. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Kaplan, Charles (1984). "The Only Native British Art Form". The Antioch Review. 42 (3): 266–276. doi:10.2307/4611362. JSTOR 4611362.
  7. ^ "Buttons". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  8. ^ Knowles, Elizabeth (2005). Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198609810.