Annotation of Harlequin Britian: 18th Century Pantomime

O'Brien, John. "Harlequin Britian: Eighteenth Century Pantomime and the Cultural Location of Entertainment(s)". Theater Journal 50.4 (1998) 489-510. Print.
The author gives us a basic history of when Pantomime theater began, starting with the fall of 1723 when Pantomime became a dominant theatrical form. However, Italian commedia troupes were performing in England by around 1540. In theater, two forms of Pantomime, serious and comedic, were mainly performed. In the early 19th century, serious roles of Pantomime began to fade away, and emphasis shifted to the commedia focusing on the clown-like figure in the performance and pushing Harlequin (serious) theater out of the way.