Pantomime dame played as pantomime dames are often - though not exclusively - older, matronly women. Indeed, they may be the protagonist's mother, as in "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Robinson Crusoe", or a nursemaid to the protagonist, as in "Sleeping Beauty" and "Snow White". Although often warm and sympathetic characters, dames may also be employed as comic antagonists, such as with the Ugly Sisters in "Cinderella". Some pantomimes traditionally do not contain standard dame roles, but certain productions may add a dame character, as in the case with many pantomime versions of "Peter Pan". Further examples of these characters include: Pantomime
American pantomime audience participation, and mild adult innuendo. Although pantomime was not frequently produced in the US during the 20th century and is not well known in America, productions of pantomime, both professional and amateur, have been seen nearly every year somewhere in the US over the past couple of decades. The earliest known pantomime in the U.S. was "Robinson Crusoe" produced at St. John's Theatre, New York in 1786. A production at Olympic Theatre in New York of "Humpty Dumpty" ran for over 1,200 performances in 1868, becoming one of the most successful American pantomimes. American pantomime, like the British pantomime,