Yep, once every town would be competing for a true star* to headline their pantomime,
these days, it's all ex-soapers and anyone with 20 minutes on a reality show.
(Comparative term in the '60s & '70s,
you might strike lucky with, say, Anita Harris,
or,
strike out with Arthur Mullard).
"the genre has declined greatly since the middle of the 20th century"
Like me.