Enter the Pantosphere

The Christmas selection box of theatre used to be easy to describe: The Kings (Glasgow and Edinburgh) would provide traditional pantomime antics, featuring all star casts, Brechtian fourth wall breaking (oh no, they don't) and seasonal versions of familiar tunes; The Citizens, Dundee Rep and Traverse offered more theatrical offerings that appealed to children and adults longing for a classic story in a contemporary format; The Tron followed its own path into an absurdist pantomime that used the levity of the form to strike a few pot-shots at theatre culture; Pavilion was determinedly old-school and the Playhouse would have a huge musical on tour. 

Although all of these regulars are all present and correct. The Citz has an adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, a halfway point between "proper theatre" and the fun of the pantomime. King's Glasgow invites back Karen Dunbar to enjoy hamming it up in Sleeping Beauty – a beautifully ironic counterpoint to Scottish Ballet's more elegant version of the same tale. The Edinburgh King's has Scotland's 'top dame' Allan Stewart in Cinderella. And the Pavilion has invited Jim Davidson back. 

Over the past few years, however, the Christmas market has been expanded. The SECC – previously content to invite a touring show, in the way that Edinburgh's Playhouse has We Will Rock You this year –hooked up with John Barrowman off Doctor Who and The Krankies in 2010 for a full-bore panto assault. Like Davidson, The Krankies are old hands: while their humour is oddly dated and sometimes close to the knuckle even for modern audiences comfortable with Lady Gaga's outrageous stunts, both Krankies and Davidson are suited to the irreverence of pantomime. They might show a little too much relish for the sauciness of their personal lives – expect Davidson to make a gag about finding his next wife in the chorus girls, and The Krankies to blur the lines between their father-son act and husband-wife reality – but their ability to work a crowd is assured and, hard as it is to admit, impressive.

The arrival of Johnny McKnight, long-time Skinny Theatre favourite for his Big Gay Trilogy, at Macrobert has made the Stirling venue a hot-spot for adults wanting something more sophisticated at Yuletide. His ability to play with the conventions of panto, and apply his own accomplished random humour makes Jackie and The Beanstalk worth the journey out of the M8 faultline.

Meanwhile, The Tron is leaving behind its own tradition, reviving Mr Merlin and getting Andy Arnold – better known for Beckett than blue banter – into the directing chair. Early signs suggest that the universe built up during Forbes Mason's years are being moved towards something that connects more closely with traditional pantomime. 

Even the National Theatre is getting in on the act, with a Scrooge out in Govan. Since Christmas is a good time for theatre, at least as far as audiences go, it makes sense for the NTS to cap a strong year with a seasonal special. Scrooge is a classical Christmas story, avoids simply repeating the pantomime formula, and gets the NTS in on the winter action.

The pantomime throws up all sort of questions about what makes popular theatre. If theatre was like television, chasing audiences like cockroaches after shit, every single show would involve cross-dressing, audience participation and popular culture mangled for mild satire. Then again, that describes a fair proportion of Live Art, and that doesn't seem to have the same broad appeal.

Certainly, it is a chance to get new audiences – this might explain why the NTS and the SECC are jumping onboard. Yet last year saw the pantos hammered by the snow, audiences disappearing and the regular programme threatened by huge losses in the pantos. In that light, the Traverse needs a special mention for its willingness to employ Jo Clifford to write Tree of Knowledge, which grapples with David Hume and Adam Smith, meeting up in modern Edinburgh. Sceptical philosopher and father of economics wonder about the consequences of their ideas in a culture that has everything but knows the value of nothing.

That's a real saturnalia energy of performance.