Buttons (pantomime) for the pantomime at this time. 'Buttons' was at that time a name for a young male servant or pageboy commonly having gilt buttons down the front of his jacket. While the character introduces a note of pathos in his unrequited love for Cinderella it is often played as a comic role. Buttons (pantomime) Buttons is the name of a character in the "Cinderella" pantomime, a male servant of the household who helps Cinderella and loves her, and who is liked and trusted but not loved by her. The character has sometimes been called Pedro. Buttons does not appear in
Pantomime new Entertainment in Dancing after the manner of the Antient Pantomimes". The same year he produced a pantomime on the subject of "Perseus and Andromeda". After this, pantomime was regular feature at Drury Lane. In 1717 at Lincoln's Inn, actor and manager John Rich introduced Harlequin into the theatres' pantomimes under the name of "Lun" (for "lunatic"). He gained great popularity for his pantomimes, especially beginning with his 1724 production of "The Necromancer; or, History of Dr. Faustus". These early pantomimes were silent, or "dumb show", performances consisting of only dancing and gestures. Spoken drama was allowed in London only