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W« 458. JanxjabtI, 1859. j THE LEADER W
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Dbtjuy X.Ani5 Theatre. Wk Have So Little...
Zirt " The jumps of the Harlequins awl Clowns are Serb- and the ?" Village of Ulliput , " m which SSs besieged , like Gulliver , by an army of infants , is an excellent finish to the sport of the evening , / ' CQVEKT ^ Tovent Garden and Boxing Night ! What racrao , ~? es would not awake at such a combination of Barnes ? - The time-honoured past , the recollections « f Mother Goose and Grimaldi , the legends we have received of Pantomimic days gone by from our fathers and grey-haired uncles , all combine to throw I present halo of glory around such nomenclature . English Opera and Boxing -N ight ! This is , indeed a strange conglomeration , a wedding of things almost , so . to say , antagonistic . Music and the catcalls , singing and the holiday shouts of the gallery to Ton * , " and " Bill , " and " Mate , " seem as probable to meet and act in unison as that wonderful . course which was once ordered for a dinner , conaistin" of " tripe and curacou . " But time tries all , and it , as Conway said , or sang , or wrote , years ago , Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast , no better illustration of the truth of the old humourist ' s dictum could be wanted than the experience of last Monday night at Covent Garden . It certainly was funny to hear , when Mr . Mellon took his seat in the orchestra , the gallery ( we beg their pardonthe gods" ) following up the well-deserved applause with which our English Costa was greeted with that shrill and expressive cheering which only emanates from English boys . But during the opera , gallery , pit and all were as silent as the most dilettante audience under Mr ; Gye ' s management . They would not stand encores . They were right : abstractedly we think encores a nuisance , and the -gallery were anxious to get at their piecesthe Pantoriiime . Now about the Pantomime . We honestly - confess to having got desperately tired of openings to pantomimes in which the Whole toriting is destroyed in its effect from being spoken by people" in masks , which are more like portmanteaus than anything else , with ah actor speaking through the keyhole . We are sick of good actors being compelled to { alk most inarticulately , and deprived of the power of showing what we consider to be a very high art , the true art . of pantomime . Pantomime— -that is , pantomimic action— -we confess to considering a high art , and there are few enough left upon the stage now who can embody its requirements and display its powers . Luckily , Covent Garden , this Christmastide , \ has not only secured the services of the most talented . pantomimic family of the day—we mean W . II . Payne and his sons—but also those of two writers -who , while they point their lines with wit and neatjiess , give full scope for the illustration of their ideas by others . We are here alluding to Messrs . Bridgeman and Sutherland Edwards , who out of the old story of Little lied Riding Hood have constructed a nice , jolly , amusing , old-fashioned opening to a pantomime . The story is , of course , the " old , old . story" of the fight between True Love ( Colin , Mr . H . Payne ) , assisted by the Queen of the Rosebuds , . against Wealth , represented by Weallhiqna , who . wishes a dreadful Baron ( Mr . W . H . Payne ) to marry Little Red Hiding Mood . In order to carry out this fearful wisli , the liaron , presented with a bottle of elixir vitas , becomes a young man again , but , unless ho wins the fair one by six p , m ., must become a bear , wolf , or pther beast , . as the case may be . Of course lie does not win the maid ; of course he becomes the wolf ; of course ho tries to eat his former love 5 and ¦ of course the fairy arrives in time to prevent a catastrophe by the proper transformation . Those who would learn once more what real pantomime is , or how dumb show can express words und feelings , and make everybody laugh , should go and see this Pantomime " opening . " Mr . \ V . II . Pnyne as the JBaron , and his son , Mr . 3 ? . Payne , as his man Rvberto , tore , as might bo expected , inimitable . In fact , everything is good : the overture hns an admirable Elaboration of Shield ' s old air , " The Wolf , " from the 'Qtutle of Andalusia ; the first scene is terse , smart , ¦ and witty ; the ballot is oxcellont ; the comic scenes fully carry out the promise of the opening ; and the whole is worthy of the golden age oi Pantomime . PIUNCUSS ' S THISATKE . The Jealous Wife , the revival of which at the high * Wq of Sir Creswell Creswell ' s operations had about it a certain air of waggery , makes a capital ami popular-preface to Mr . CrowqulH ' s pantomimo of I he King of the Castle ; or , Harlequin Prince Diamond and the JEYincesa Brighteyes , which wo believe the most astute of dramatic Dryasdusts onn trace to no one particular legend , song , or nursery tale . Tho opening was , however ' , so satisfactory to tho higher classes ( the godu , 1 . e > . ) prosont on boxing night , that tho manager was vociferously called to receive most genuine honour at their unwashed hands . Tho King oj the CQ $ tlo in question callod llott ^ onevorytftingfivvn hw ft lovely daughter , ' JJrightet / es , whom ho ia desirous' of sacrificing at tho altar to tho 'Huron Wtytyntholegaandwtta , But she oubots tin oloponiorifc with Prince Diamond , and tho pursuit oi
the fugitives by the hair-brained monarch , his friend , a Gnome , and the ninety-year-old lover , his prote ' o-6 , gives rise to amusing and thoroughly effective situations . After one or two changes in the aspect of affairs , the lovers are at last tracked to " Prince Diamond ' s Cavern of Gems , " followed by a magnificent scejiic effect , in which Mr . Grieve has eclipsed himself , called the " Palace of Jewels . Incidental dancing of merit above the average is here introduced , and the irate King is finally baffled by the good help of the Fairy Ruywing , who turns the happy pair adrift into a world of happiness as Harlequin and Columbine , and disposes of the other characters very much as usual . The " comic business" is as likely as ever to delight holiday visitors . The artists of the harlequinade are all as familiar to old playgoers as they are strange to young ones . Comic shots at the follies of the day , comic clutches at the ideal Cynthia of the minute , are plenteous enough , and good scenery and management all pervading . Shall we say more ? Can we ? —No ! HAYMAKKET THEATRE . The performances here have commenced each evening during the week with Goldsmith ' s comedy She Stoops to Conquer , in which Mr . Buckstone assumes the character of Tony Juwnphin , supported by Miss Reynolds as Miss Uardcastle , and Mr . Chippendale as Mr . IlarJcasde . The pretty legend on which is founded the pantomime of Undine , which follows , was given at length in our last week ' s impression , and need not be repeated . Itis treated as folio * 's : — The first tableau , which is ushered in by some pretty music of a sentimental cast , shows us a most resplendent Sea-Weed Cavern , seat of the Water family , of whom Undine - is a disjointed member . The leading members of this party are Kuhleborn ( a stern *" spirit ) , Mr . Cullenford , and a very ardent young Spirit dressed in a 6 uit of some apparently silver-plated fabric ; Translucia , Miss Fanny Wright , who executes some captivating tours de force . We next find ourselves in the fisherman ' s hut , near the enchanted forest , where the wayward sprite Undine ( Miss Louisa Lrfjclercq ) , who indulges in dancing of an eccentric-but spirit uel order , is serving her time to Mortality , and is supposed to have nearly passed the ordeal of falling in love , which was fraught with such peril to her . She is , however , fated to surrender to that , falsely called , gentle passion . A belted knight turns up . Sir Hulbrand ( Mrs . Leclercq ) is his name , and he is engaged to the tall and handsome Lady Bertalda von Ringsteiten ( Miss Fitzinman ) : But , lady-killer as he is , he thinks nothing of a sweetheart more or less , aud sues Undine , , to suit the story , surrenders a discretion . She finds too late that with the encumbrance of an attachment she has taken up that of a soul , anil the spirits who pervade the air mourn in plaintive strains " lost , lost Undine . " A little jealousy is , of course , a necessary ingredient in the salad . The departure of Bertlialda on the most whimsical of hobbyhorses in search of her lover is productive of much amusement , and the paroxysms of the lovelorn Undine , when she finds she is betrayed , give room for some elegant pantomime . By nn eflbrt the latter conquers her earthly passion , restores her kuight to his first love , and , her transient fault forgiven , is readmitted to the glorious spirit halls beneath the waves . The performance of the harlequinade by the Leclercq family partakes more of an elegant than a boisterous character , but the comic scenes are properly enriched with fun of the usual cast . For further particulars of this very genteel pantomime our readers must apply to Mr . Buckstono at tho theatre , who will be happy , on receipt of tho usual consideration , to afford , every information . ST . james ' s theatre—oi'bra-cqmxque . On former occasions wo drew attention to this enterprise and the liberal promises of its projectors , which comprised some twenty operas or more . On Wednesday wo assisted nt their iirst representation , when Aubor ' s La Part du Diablo was given before a numerous and well-com posed audience . Tho libretto is well known to be a pleasing ono . It was arranged originally by Scribe , from his tale , Carlo Brosohi , and »* so well adapted for tho at ago that it has found its way on to the London boards in several shapes , with some of which—for instance , The Veinl ' s in It and The Littlo Devil—all regular playgoers are familiar . Aubor has felicitously interwoven with tho spoken Uialoguo soveral of his most captivating strains , so highly finished as to appotir artless , nnd M . Hdmusiit ' s well-selected ' oryliofltragavo these with proper dolicncy ami oifect . Tho sniuo can hardly bo said of M . Fougbroa , from tho Court Theatre at Amsterdam , tho representative oi-llaphael ittistinttgu , tho university student . This * artist ' s voice , if it has not soon its best days , has certainly lost for tho timo boing tho flexibility required for tho part allotted to him on Wednesday , and ho must only ho rou ;« rdod as a stop-gnp for very prosont use . Tho Canihla was MnUuiuo Colino ' \ MiUhiuu , from tho Marseilles Theatre , nnd hev
brother , Carlo Brosclii , the supposed agent of the arch fiend , was Madame Faure " , an agreeable , and , on the whole , satisfactory vocalist , though endowed with no great power , from the Oper ^ . Lyrique at Paris . This lady made a very pleasing impression in a duo in the third scene of the first . act . Her part of the trio , " Ferine ta paupiere , " was purely sung . She was no less pleasing in the finale to the first act than in several of the subsequent morceaux , and her willing exertions earned for her considerable applause . Some allowance must always be generously made for the depressing effect of Britannic frigidity upon artists unknown to fame on this side of the Channel , who make their first bows to an . English audience . This preliminary coldness was doubtless not without its effect upon the members of M . Re ' musat ' s company on Wednesday , for we noticed , as the opera , progressed , and the audience and singers somewhat warmed towards each other , that a decided improvement was perceptible / Again , the wretched weather now prevailing , which night after night Vre see affecting the organs of our most accomplished domestic favourites , may be well imagined to bear hard upon strangers and _ sojburners . Though this plea must be strained to serve M . Fougeres ( if he really come , as stated , from Amsterdam ) , we are anxious to advance it for his fellow artists ; and with them let him too have the benefit of the doubt suggested . LTCEUil . " A very elaborate and gorgeous burlesque and pantomime has been brought out at this theatre by Mr . R . Brough and Mr . Falconer . The written part , by Mr . Brough , is a clever parody or burlesque of a portion of the Iliad , and includes some forty speaking characters . The chief are :-r-Mrs . Keeley , Hector ; Achilles , Miss Talbot ; Ajax , Mr . Charles Young ; and Patroclus , Mr . Kogers . The Trojan Horse is of course a great object of fun , and Mr . Rogers , by his quaintness , added much , to the merriment . The part of Mr . Falconer , as manager , is very creditable , he having spared neither expense nor pains to produce gorgeous and pleasing effects . The subject is perhaps somewhat too remote from modern knowledge or sympathy , but it makes a beautiful spectacle . The harlequinade is comparatively the least part of the entertainment , but it is sufficient to end the evening with an hilarious feeling , and to satisfy the audience .. . OLTSiPIC . Mr . Byron , whose success in burlesque at the Strand entitles him to attention , has written an elaborate burlesque for this theatre founded on his great namesake ' s poem and the horse piece at Astley ' s . The entire company are engaged in it , and Mr . Robson ' s exploits on the back of" the raging animal , " purchased at the Lowther Arcade , and his frenzy in the character of a celebrated rider , afford much amusement . The show and scenery are pretty , the dialogue smart , and the music blithe and appropriate . And so Mazeppa and his wild horse are likely to hold on their conrse throughout the holidays , and will very likely run to Easter . astley ' s amphitheatre . Although the pantomime here is termed Equine , yet neither Harlequin nor Columbine , Pantaloon nor Clown are mounted on horseback . The introductory fairy story admits of some quadrupedal performance , and Baron Munchausen ( the hero ) contesting with satanic influence , undergoes some extraordinary adventures , amongst others that of having his steed cut in , two * The harlequinade is well supported and fully answered tho expectations of a very crowded audience . SURREY THEATRE . This theatre may be t 6 rmed the transpontine Drury Lano , and vies with its great prototype in tho magnificence and magnitude of its Christmas spectacle . It is equally complete in its burlesque introduction audits pantomimic portion . The burlesque is an allegory tending to expose the indignities and wrongs Old Father Thames is subject to . This of course admits all tho mythology of river gods , and gives grand opportunities for groups of water nymphs , grots , & c , It is exceedingly splendid , and vory well imagined and contrived ; and tho harlequinade wns as much approved as the gorgeous opening' . It is likely to have a very successful run . SADI . KU ' S WKIJUS . Mr . T . L . Greenwood , one of our oldest anil ablest concoctors of pantomimes , had given tho critical frequenters of this thentro a very protty and amusing entertainment , entitled , Harlequin , or Old Izaak Walton ; or , Tom Moore of Fleet ~ street , the Silver Trout , and the Sewn Sinters of Tottenham . Tho introductory matter is quaint ami picture .-h ] no , anil tho harlequinade quite sustains tho reputation this house justly hns attained . Of all the junior pantomimes wo should bo inolinod to considor this tho best from report and as far as wo have soon . * ¦ * ¦ , STRAND . Ivonihvorth , and its dUmnl story of Amy Robsart , furnishes , tho material for tho burlo ^ quo which hero always lakos tho plaoo of pantomimo , and it has boon very quaintly , and wo almost , may say wittily , treated by Mr . Lawronco nnd Mr . llnlliduy . Tho show is also vory tnstofully got up , ami is resplendent with aU tho
W« 458. Janxjabti, 1859. J The Leader W
W « 458 . JanxjabtI , 1859 . j THE LEADER W
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 1, 1859, page 15, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01011859/page/15/
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